Community Food System Plan
About
The City of Rochester is developing its first-ever Community Food System Plan. This effort seeks to understand the local food system better across city neighborhoods and develop recommendations to inform policies, partnerships, and initiatives to improve food access, health, and resilience.
The planning process includes information gathering, mapping and data analysis, community-based research, and significant public and stakeholder engagement.
Community engagement
Community engagement and community input are a vitally important part of the planning process. We will be gathering community input in a few different ways:
- Interviews and focus groups with impacted populations and food system experts (January-June 2024)
- An online community survey (April-July 2024)
- Pop-up outreach events (May 2024)
- Public meetings (October 2024) - see details below!
- Partnering with a Community Advisory Committee and the Rochester Food Policy Council (Ongoing)
Stay tuned here for announcements about opportunities for you to provide input to Rochester’s first Community Food System Plan!
Get involved: Public Meetings
Please join us for one of our upcoming public meetings (described below) to learn more about the Food Plan, share your experience with the City’s food system, and help us identify opportunities to increase access to healthy, affordable food in all city neighborhoods.
Each public meeting will present the same content and will begin with a brief presentation of key findings from our analysis of Rochester’s food system followed by small group conversations to gather your insights and ideas.
Feedback gathered at these public meetings will be used to directly inform recommended projects, policies, and programs in the Community Food System Plan.
In person
Date: Wednesday October 23, 2024
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Thomas P. Ryan R-Center in the Community Room, 530 Webster Avenue, Rochester.
Virtual
Date: Monday, October 28, 2024
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual (register here)
Community Advisory Committee
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is a multidisciplinary group of City staff and community members with a wide range of perspectives, knowledge bases, and experiences across the local food system that will inform Community Food System Plan development. Members of the CAC are:
- Shalini Beath, City of Rochester Sustainability Office
- John Brach, City of Rochester Mayor’s Office
- Michael Bulger, Common Ground Health and Rochester Food Policy Council
- Rhonda Destino, The Commissary
- Melissa Dillon, Tops Friendly Markets
- Jim Farr, City of Rochester Public Market
- Jackie Farrell, Westside Farmers Market
- Erik Frisch, City of Rochester Department of Neighborhood and Business Development
- Chris Hartman, Headwater Food Hub
- Michael Henry, Rochester Food Policy Council
- Kevin Kelley, City of Rochester City Planning Office
- Leslie Knox, Friends of the Rochester Public Market
- Sade McCallan, City of ROchester Mayor's Office
- Josie McClary, 19th Ward Community Association and Rochester Food Policy Council
- Nathaniel Mich, Taproot Collective and Rochester Food Policy Council
- Elizabeth Henderson, Peacework Farm and Rochester Food Policy Council
- Denise Read, Monroe County Department of Human Services
- Liliana Ruiz, City of Rochester Mayor’s Office
- Jacob Scott, Rochester City School District
- Sara Scott, City of Rochester Recreation and Parks Stewardship
- Ashley Smith, Mona Street Community Garden and Rochester Food Policy Council
- Julia Tedesco, Foodlink and Rochester Food Policy Council
- Paul Whitehouse, Beechwood Community Garden and Rochester Food Policy Council
Rochester Food Policy Council
The Rochester Food Policy Council (FPC) is a resident-driven collaboration that convenes community members and stakeholders to develop policy solutions, grow partnerships, and support projects that improve the local food system. The Rochester FPC is dedicated to fostering a food system that supports the health of the environment, where every resident has equitable access to high-quality foods that support their health and opportunities to participate in a vibrant local food economy.
The Rochester FPC is composed of 10 resident members who reflect the diversity of the City of Rochester community, and three administrative members – one each from Foodlink, Common Ground Health, and the City – who provide staff, operations, and fundraising support.
The Rochester FPC is a key partner in developing Rochester’s first Community Food System Plan! To learn more about the FPC, please visit their website.
Plan documents
Stay tuned for the draft and final documents below as they become available.
Submit photos for our report/plan
Do you have a photo that you think tells a story about important people, places, or aspects of Rochester’s food system? If so, please let us know! We want to highlight photos from community members throughout our report. We will accept photos on a rolling basis through the summer, but would love to have at least some good photos in hand by June 15.
Click here to submit photos of the Rochester food system in action!
For more information
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact one of the City staff leading this effort:
Elizabeth Murphy, Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives
(585) 428-6813
Elizabeth.Murphy@CityofRochester.Gov
Brent Irving, Senior City Planner
(585) 428-7253
Brent.Irving@CityofRochester.Gov
Healthy ROC Grocer Program
The Healthy ROC Grocer Program makes it easy for you to find stores conveniently located in your neighborhood or near your workplace to quickly fill your shopping basket with nutritious, wholesome foods that support well-being for you and your family.
Whether you're looking for a gallon of milk, traditional foods or ingredients, or a wholesome prepared meal, the information below will connect you to shopping options.
Look for the Healthy ROC Grocer logo to find a wealth of healthy options right in your backyard!
