SPRINGFIELD FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
  • Home
  • About us
    • Overview
    • News
    • Partner Organizations
    • Committees and Members
  • Initiatives
    • SFPC WINS!
    • 40 Acres Food Justice Project >
      • Food Production Sites
      • Grow-A-Garden Project
      • School Gardens
      • Community Gardens
    • Youth Nutrition
    • Springfield Food Hub
    • Donate
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 School Meal Sites
    • Events
    • Farmer's Markets
    • Got SNAP? Get Free Produce!
    • School Garden Resource Guide
    • Urban Agriculture
  • Join Us
 AFFORDABLE-FRESH-HEALTHY-CULTURALLY REPRESENTTIVE
​

Our Food, Our Future​

Imagine a food system where all residents have the opportunity participate equitably as consumers - that's our vision.

NEWS FROM MA STATE GOVERNMENT

​MASSACHUSETTS IS THE FIRST STATE TO EXTEND PANDEMIC EBT BENEFITS!

                                     
​                                               
           EVERY STUDENT ENROLLED IN SPRINGFIELD OR HOLYOKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ELIGIBLE.  FAMILY INCOME DOES NOT MATTER!!!
​                      Massachusetts has become the first state to extend P-EBT benefits through the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
​Families with children enrolled in fully-remote learning models will receive $117 a month per child. Students enrolled in a hybrid-learning model will receive $58 a month each" to be used anywhere SNAP benefits are accepted. Pandemic EBT assistance has provided incredible relief for low-income families with children in school - both hybrid and completely remote learning models.  ​CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
READ MORE

BREAKFAST AFTER THE BELL LEGISLATION PASSED, SIGNED INTO LAW

Wonderful news everyone! Breakfast After The Bell legislation passed yesterday and Governor Baker has signed it into law! Students across Massachusetts now have access to breakfast every day of the week so they can show up energetic and ready to learn.
LEARN MORE
Picture
Thanks to the many people who have worked on this –including young people who bravely told their stories of hunger, parents, grandparents and others who visited legislators locally and at the Statehouse and Rep. Williams who really dug in on this with the SFPC.  And especially school committee member Denise Hurst who helped champion this in Springfield.  Our local leaders made it possible across the city for children in Springfield nearly two years ago.  I know it has been a long road – but Springfield should be proud that the Springfield Food Policy Council kept up our work, even after our children had access to Breakfast In the Classroom.  People of color led the work to ensure that all children in our Commonwealth would not have to start their school day hungry!  Springfield families, you model what leadership and justice really looks like!
​
Picture

Coming Soon SFPC'S 2021 GROW-A-GARDEN Program!
BACKYARD, FRONT YARD, AND CONTAINER GARDENS IN SPRINGFIELD

Want to grow your own food—right in your yard? The Springfield Food Policy Council believes that everyone who wants to grow their own food should have the support that they need to do so. To help make this happen, we have installed raised-bed and container gardens through our Grow-a-Garden initiative. ​Unfortunately, sign-ups are closed for the season, but check back for future times to grow!
LEARN MORE

RESOURCES

"WE DON'T FARM BECAUSE IT'S TRENDY; WE FARM AS RESISTANCE, FOR HEALING AND SOVEREIGNTY"
Article by Ashley Gripper, Environmental Health News, May 27, 2020
"For more than 150 years, from the rural South to northern cities, Black people have used farming to build self-determined communities and resist oppressive structures that tear them down." Click the link below to read more on the history of urban growing and Black communities, and how "growing food is a tool for dismantling systemic oppression."
Read more in English
Leer más en Español
DISPROPORTIONATE RACIAL IMPACTS OF COVID-19
"The COVID-19 crisis is hurting all our communities, but not equally. The data that would allow us to document the pandemic’s uneven toll rigorously are incomplete and only now emerging - and it’s already clear that communities of color, including children, once again are on the frontlines of vulnerability." Click the link below to read more and access an up-to-date list of articles and resources documenting this crisis.
READ MORE FROM EMBRACERACE.ORG
SEVEN DAYS OF FREE SCHOOL MEALS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS, NO ID REQUIRED
During the school closures prompted by health and safety concerns related to the coronavirus, children enrolled in Springfield Public Schools may pick up a free breakfast, lunch, and dinner at any of the schools listed as distribution sites. On Fridays, they may also pick up additional meals for Saturday and Sunday.
Any person 18 or under is eligible for breakfast and lunch pickup. No ID, registration, or address is required. Service is grab-n-go style from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday until school resumes. Students may attend any school they are near; it does not need to be the school where they are enrolled.
list of Springfield schools offering meals

NEWS

Springfield schools expanding meal plan to include dinner
April 6, 2020
  • Dinner is now available for pickup with breakfasts & lunches
  • Closed on 4/10 based on the district calendar: all Friday and weekend meals will be available on 4/9
READ MORE
You can still get stimulus payments without filing a tax return
April 4, 2020
  • Free tool from TurboTax allows you to submit information and receive a stimulus check without filing 2019 tax returns
Read More

Picture
About Us
We are the Springfield Food Policy Council, an independent body that oversees the coordination of public and private efforts to improve access to nutritious, affordable, culturally appropriate, fresh, and safe foods for all residents of Springfield.

Picture
Farmer's Markets
Find out the location and hours of your nearest farmer's market here. 
Picture
School Garden Resource Guide
Are you an educator interested in starting a school garden? Read this step-by-step guide, which offers important information about how to safely grow your own fruits and vegetables with your students.
Click here to learn more about our mission
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About us
    • Overview
    • News
    • Partner Organizations
    • Committees and Members
  • Initiatives
    • SFPC WINS!
    • 40 Acres Food Justice Project >
      • Food Production Sites
      • Grow-A-Garden Project
      • School Gardens
      • Community Gardens
    • Youth Nutrition
    • Springfield Food Hub
    • Donate
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 School Meal Sites
    • Events
    • Farmer's Markets
    • Got SNAP? Get Free Produce!
    • School Garden Resource Guide
    • Urban Agriculture
  • Join Us