A Letter From Our Executive Director

 Welcome to our newly designed website rollout, and thank you for supporting the council.

Our mission has always been to connect and represent groups across Florida by addressing the gaps in our food system. In recent years—shaped by the pandemic, a national reckoning with racism, immigration challenges, and the volatility of elections—we experienced a deep internal shift. Florida families have endured hurricanes, housing instability, rising utility costs, and the heartbreaking loss of benefits for children and seniors. Through it all, we realized that our work could no longer exist in isolation—it had to evolve as part of a larger ecosystem of justice and resilience.
So we listened. We traveled the state to meet with members, farmers, advocates, researchers, and scientists to understand how climate change, displacement, and economic inequities are reshaping communities. Through those conversations, we became part of a broader movement—one that connects food justice to housing, energy, health, and dignity for every Floridian.
Thanks to the steadfast leadership of Erica “Erahyah” Hall, our Executive Director and Board Chair, and Erica “Zenzele” Hardison, Vice Chair of the Florida Food Policy Council Board, lead steward and President of the One Community Grocery Co-op (OCGC) and Cooperation Works, the Council has deepened its partnerships and sharpened its purpose. Together with our Board, we reflected on our mission, values, and goals, taking the time to rebuild intentionally. That pause gave us the clarity to strengthen our foundation and redefine what equitable food policy can look like across our state.
Now, we are ready to move forward. Over the coming months, we will re-launch regular programming—including our Florida Food Forums, member events, and collaborative initiatives—while creating spaces where difficult but necessary conversations about food, race, immigration, climate, and justice can happen openly and constructively.Accolades and Collaborative Leadership

• The Highland Project (THP) – Investing in intergenerational Black women leaders advancing economic justice, food sovereignty, and climate resilience.
• Dream Keeper Fund (DKF) – Supporting Black-led community land, food, and cooperative initiatives through narrative strategy and intergenerational wealth-building.
• INFAS (Inter-Institutional Network for Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability) and NAFSN (North American Food Systems Network) – Advancing racial equity in academic-community partnerships and food systems education.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) / Vital Village Food Justice Project – Collaborating with Brown University, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Temple University to expand the national database on structural racism in food policy.
• Signatory on state and national equity letters advocating for food justice, climate resilience, and racial equity.
• Cooperator in the USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP) – Assisting Black farmers and other historically marginalized producers in securing fair access to support and debt relief.
• Reviewer for the Reinvestment Fund, USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), and Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) – Helping shape national funding priorities that strengthen equitable local food economies.
• Participant in the Up & Coming Cooperative Conference in Kalamazoo, contributing to the Black Co-op Stories series celebrating cooperative ownership, solidarity economics, and community power.
• Deepened relationships in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with USF St. Petersburg, iCAR (Initiative on Coastal Adaptation and Resilience), and CRIS (Community Resilience Information System), alongside national collaborations through INFAS, NAFSN, and JAFSCD (Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development).
• Engaged directly with researchers and scientists across Florida and nationally to align data, policy, and community priorities around food systems, equity, and resilience.
• Contributor to national research and publications, including Food Insecurity (Whitney & Will, 2024) and Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD).
• Partner in regional and national initiatives advancing right-to-food policy, environmental justice, and community wealth-building.

Partner Spotlight: Erica “Zenzele” Hardison & the Cooperative Movement
Erica “Zenzele” Hardison, Vice Chair of the Florida Food Policy Council Board and President of the One Community Grocery Co-op (OCGC) and Cooperation Works, is a driving force in Florida’s cooperative and community wealth-building space.
 Through OCGC, she is pioneering cooperative ownership models that center Black, Brown, and working-class residents in shaping their own food futures. Zenzele and OCGC’s participation in the Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) and the Black Community Wealth Accelerator reflects her ongoing commitment to cooperative education, democratic governance, and collective economic power.
Her leadership and partnership with FLFPC strengthen the bridge between community-owned food enterprise and statewide policy advocacy—embodying the shared values of equity, cooperation, and the belief that food justice is inseparable from economic justice.Timeline of Milestones
YearMilestone2020–2021Listening sessions, rebuilding mission, and member engagement.2022Relaunch of Florida Food Forums and Equity Eats Procurement Hub.2023DFAP cooperator designation and expansion of Right to Food advocacy.2024Collaborations with THP, RWJF, INFAS, and NAFSN; national recognition.2025Website redesign, cooperative partnerships, and CBPR research expansion.These milestones reflect the collective leadership of our members and partners—people who are reimagining how Florida grows, feeds, and sustains itself in the face of overlapping crises.
Thank you for walking with us through the storms—both literal and systemic—as we rebuild toward a more resilient, connected, and just food future.
Warm regards,
 Erica “Erahyah” Hall
 Executive Director & Board Chair
 Florida Food Policy Council

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