Partner spotlight: Foodlink
With the government shutdown putting a spotlight on the more than 150,000 people in our area who rely on federal food and nutrition assistance, we thought it timely to highlight one of our long-time partners working to end hunger: Foodlink.
Many know Foodlink as a large food bank that stores and distributes food to smaller food pantries across the region, which they have been doing for decades. But with the mission to leverage the power of food to end hunger and build healthier communities, Foodlink has developed innovative programs around food access, food literacy, and career empowerment to address food insecurity at its roots.
Here's how they do it.
In addition to its large food distribution efforts, Foodlink’s mobile markets bring fresh, affordable food to Rochester and surrounding communities, and its pop-up pantries provide emergency food relief to areas that have limited access to traditional food pantries. Its community kitchen prepares thousands of healthy meals each day for Rochester students, day cares, and other community-based programs.
They also run a 2.3-acre urban farm that does a lot more than grow fresh produce. With an education center, greenhouse, community garden, commercial growing operation, apiary, orchard, and public play area, the Foodlink Community Farm help to build connections between the land, its programs, and the community. They also educate children about how food is grown, harvested, and introduced into the local food system.
But Foodlink doesn’t stop there. With the knowledge that a lack of sustainable employment is often one of the biggest causes of food insecurity, Foodlink’s career fellowship offers both classroom and hands-on training in their commercial kitchen. During a year-long intensive training program that includes a 4-month apprenticeship, fellows learn all the core competencies needed to work in a fast-paced professional kitchen, then have up to four years of post-graduation support through coaching, workshops, networking, and other opportunities to help them succeed as culinary professionals. Apprentices also work in Foodlink’s Community Café, providing important training to the fellows, while offering affordable meals to customers who are unable to pay listed menu prices.
Foodlink doesn’t only educate those who want to be professional foodies, they provide a variety of community health education through cooking classes, kits for cooking clubs, workshops and a peer-to-peer ambassador program.
“Foodlink is a vital connection in the community and we are proud to call them partners,” says Mike Bulger, director of whole child health at Common Ground Health.
So, how do we work with Foodlink? Along with the City of Rochester, Common Ground Health and Foodlink support the Rochester Food Policy Council—a resident-driven collaboration that develops policy solutions, grows partnerships, and supports projects to improve the local food system. Together we work to ensure that all young people in Rochester have equitable access to healthy food and have a voice in the system. We also work with them on the Summers Meals Partnership of Rochester, which envisions that every child in the City of Rochester has access to free, healthy meals and a safe place to have fun and learn, all summer long.