Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Online Conference, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
In-Person Community Conversation, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm — Metro Baptist Church (410 W 40th St)
On December 6, 2023, the Interfaith Center of New York and our partners will host a conference for religious and civic leaders exploring faith-based responses to food insecurity – including immediate responses to hunger, as well as long-term, sustainable strategies to build food justice and food sovereignty for all New Yorkers. The Faith in Action for Food Justice conference will be the 41st meeting of the Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer Retreat for Social Justice, ICNY’s flagship program for interfaith dialogue on social issues. We are honored to partner with extraordinary organizations around NYC to convening this important conversation.
Hunger and food insecurity have always plagued New York City, but their presence was visibly felt during the COVID pandemic as food pantry lines wrapped around blocks in every borough. With compounding issues like unaffordable housing, poverty, and racial inequality, far too many New Yorkers remain vulnerable to hunger. According to a 2022 report from the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, approximately 1.2 million New Yorkers, or 14.6% of city residents, are food insecure, with limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate food. This figure likely underestimates the true scope of the problem, especially as rates of food insecurity vary widely by race, class, and borough – disproportionately impacting historically marginalized Black and Brown communities. For example, 19.7% of Bronx residents are food insecure, a figure 35% higher than the city average.
Many faith leaders and congregations already address food insecurity in their local communities through food pantries, soup kitchens, and community meals. Some work to meet the specific needs of their faith communities, by providing halal, kosher, or vegetarian meals. Government food assistance programs offer immediate support for at-risk individuals and families, but these programs are too often inaccessible for undocumented and non-English-speaking New Yorkers. While such programs are essential, our ultimate goal must be a city where emergency food services are no longer needed. The Faith in Action for Food Justice conference will focus not only on immediate hunger relief efforts, but also on grassroots organizing and advocacy campaigns addressing the structural roots of food insecurity. We will work together to reimagine our food systems, and envision a city where all New Yorkers have reliable access to healthy and culturally appropriate foods, produced through environmentally sustainable methods.
This conference has now passed — deepest thanks to all our partners, presenters, and participants!
The conference is open to all religious and civic leaders. It will be held on Zoom — registered participants will receive the Zoom link after registering.
Registration is free, but please click here to support the Interfaith Center’s work. A contribution to the Interfaith Center of NY will not affect business dealings with the City or provide special access to City officials.
The conference is generously co-sponsored by B’nai Jeshurun, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, the Interfaith Public Health Network, Muslims Giving Back, and the Met Council.
Our in-person community conversation and direct service opportunity are hosted by Metro Baptist Church.
Questions about the conference? Please contact Hanadi Doleh, ICNY’s Director of Community Partnerships, at hanadi@interfaithcenter.org.
Conference Program
Click here to read more about our Conference Speakers
Click here for our Conference’s Resource Guide
| 9:00 am – 9:15 am | Welcome, Opening Reflections, and Prayer
Featuring a video greeting from Dr. Dodi Meyer, Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center, Attending Physician at Morgan Stanley New York Presbyterian Hospital, and daughter of the late Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer. Interfaith prayer led by Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi, Buddhist Global Relief. |
|
| 9:15 am – 10:15 am | Keynote Address
Kate MacKenzie, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Food Policy Moderated by Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of New York |
|
| 10:15 am – 10:30 am | Break, or Optional Borough-Based Networking | |
| 10:30 am – 11:30 am | Panel Discussion: Faith-Based Perspectives on Food Justice
Featuring:
Moderated by Dr. Henry Goldschmidt, Director of Programs, Interfaith Center of New York |
|
| 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | Breakout Groups
Each panelist will join a group to continue the panel discussion, offering participants an opportunity to reflect on diverse faith-based perspectives. |
|
| 12:00 pm – 12:15 pm | Break – Take a Moment to Rest and Refocus | |
| 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm | Workshops
Small group workshops will help you build relationships with other conference participants, develop practical organizing skills, and learn about a range of issues related to food justice. When you register for the conference, you will be asked to rank your workshop preferences. We will try to place all participants in their top workshop choices, but we cannot guarantee placement. Each 45-minute workshop will be recorded, so conference participants may watch other workshops at a later date. Workshop topics will include: I. How to Offer Religiously Inclusive Meals For religious traditions with dietary restrictions, the experience of food insecurity is often exacerbated as there are limited options to source kosher, halal, and vegan meals. This workshop will review the unique landscape among religious communities with specific diets and how houses of worship and faith communities engaging in food justice can expand their offering inclusive meals. Panelists will present research and discuss how participants can engage in advocacy campaigns to diversify meals across NYC. Featuring:
Moderated by Hanadi Doleh, Director of Community Partnerships, Interfaith Center of New York. II. Supporting Sustainable Food Systems Food insecurity is deeply affected by its production and our community’s relationship with the land. Panelists will discuss the sustainability aspect of food justice, exploring topics such as local food procurement, food waste, and urban farming. Together, panelists and participants will consider how to engage more individuals in building sustainable food systems, be it through community gardens, composing, environmental justice advocacy. Featuring:
Moderated by Dr. Henry Goldschmidt, Director of Programs, Interfaith Center of New York and Scott Blumenthal, Program Associate, Interfaith Center of New York. III. Towards Food Sovereignty: A Racial Justice Perspective Whereas terms such as “food access” and “food security” refer to immediate and the development of long-term solutions, “food sovereignty” imagines a system in which communities, especially those historically marginalized, have a right to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food. Regrettably, food insecurity is largely correlated to race and class, especially in NYC where policies and gentrification have deprived certain neighborhoods from accessing resources. This workshop will encourage participants to consider how food justice is a racial justice issue and advocacy steps towards “food sovereignty.” Featuring:
Moderated by Shanaz Deen, Racial Justice Advocacy Fellow, Interfaith Center of New York. IV. Food Insecurity and Migration Faith-based organizations and congregations have stepped up to care for thousands of migrants in recent years – offering shelter, food, interpretation services, and other social services. This workshop speaks with panelists who have been serving and empowering migrants; together, they will discuss how food access has evolved since the pandemic, with a particular focus on the urgent needs of our new New Yorkers. Participants will discuss and share best practices to support migrant communities in these times of crisis, be it through emergency food services or advocacy. Featuring:
Moderated by Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of New York. V. Workers’ Rights in the Food Industry Cancelled. We look forward to exploring workers’ rights in our programming next spring. In the meantime, please look at our resource guide for more information about the advocacy around labor in the food industry. |
|
| 1:00 pm – 1:10 pm | Break, or Optional Borough-Based Networking | |
| 1:10 pm – 1:45 pm | Advocacy Panel
During the Advocacy Panel, Bread for the World and the Interfaith Public Health Network will share information about the current legislative landscape and how faith communities can mobilize in local spaces. Together, they will equip participants, regardless of experience, with the different tools to engage in ongoing advocacy campaigns and mobilize others in our communities. Featuring:
Moderated by Shanaz Deen, Racial Justice Advocacy Fellow, Interfaith Center of New York. |
|
| 1:45 pm – 2:00 pm | Closing Reflections and Prayer
Pandita Pratima Kushmani Doobay, Shridevi Arts |
|
| 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Community Conversation
Please join us at Metro Baptist Church for a community conversation and seeding project, intended to reflect on the day’s programming and set intentions to achieve food justice. Location: 410 W 40th Street, New York, NY 10018. Featuring:
|
If you will be live tweeting or posting, please use the hashtags #FaithInFoodJustice and #MMR41 for this event.
