PFPC at the 2023 Pasa Conference
The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council hosted a session on Benefits to Growers from School Purchasing Policies at the 2023 Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference in February! Moderated by PFPC staffer Sam Applefield, this panel session featured presentations from Zainab Pixler (Senior Analyst, Center for Good Food Purchasing, Malik Hamilton (Production and Purchasing Coordinator, Pittsburgh Public Schools), Matthew Lowe (Good Keeper Farm), and Caryn Long Earl (Director, Bureau of Food Assistance, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture). Roughly 30 conference attendees joined the session and learned about the Good Food Purchasing Policy and its impact, experiences and lessons learned from implementing Farm to School relationships, and newly-available resources from the Department of Agriculture to facilitate these relationships in PA. There were lots of questions and a rich discussion during the Q&A session following the panel. If you’d like to learn more about what was shared, check out some of the links below!
Center for Good Food Purchasing
Good Food Purchasing Policy at Pittsburgh Public Schools
Organizing this panel was a critical component of the farm to institution work made possible by the USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership grant, awarded to the PFPC from 2022-2025. In addition to the information shared by the panel, PFPC staff - including new Executive Director Jo Deming - and Council members were able to meet up, share food, and exchange ideas.We will be continuing to engage farmers and institutions throughout the year in efforts to better connect these actors in our regional food system. We look forward to continuing this work, and sharing about it at next year’s Pasa Conference!
PFPC Members out to dinner at the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference! From left to right: Adulkadir Chirambo, Jodi McLaughlin, Vanessa Davis, Jackie Wood, Sam Applefield, Adia Effiong, Jo Deming, Lisa Freeman.
