Friends,
Unprecedented times! It goes without saying that the elections have consequences, both anticipated and unanticipated. The new Presidential administration has surprised us all. Interfaith Food is of course a non-partisan organization, you may not be aware however that I founded the organization in part for this moment: a time when public policy leadership in Washington, D.C. is Republican led in the House, Senate and Whitehouse. Faith-based organizations are uniquely positioned to work with both sides of the aisle. As Agriculture and Budget committees in Congress look at what to include in the next Farm Bill, and President Trump’s team looks at which previously approved programs to freeze or eliminate, the more than 215 faith-based advocacy offices on Capitol Hill need to understand the importance of programs Interfaith Food has been lifting up since 2012. We want to see faith-based advocates stand-up for programs including:
- training and land-access programs for the next generation of farmers including immigrant farmers;
- research and financial incentives to support organic farming and climate-friendly soil management;
- farm to school programs that support healthy food and garden education for our children; and nutrition incentive programs so that SNAP/CalFresh recipients purchase more local fruits and vegetables at farmers markets for low-income individuals including seniors
We’re not just looking at Washington of course, we’re looking at what congregations can do locally to put their values into action to:
- support recent immigrants and low-income individuals facing food security challenges– whether ongoing or directly related to Southern California fires or recent floods;
- make sure congregations hosting pantries or community garden sites are aware of what they can do to support legal defense in the event of an ICE raid; and
- support allied secular groups in the food justice and sustainable agriculture community who are forced to lay-off staff, or halt programs because of the Federal funds freeze on approved and contracted grants.
I was especially proud to have had the opportunity to use my Spanish language abilities to speak to participants at a recent resource fair organized by the San Francisco Archdiocese at St. Rafael’s Parish. (See story below.)
However, while working creatively to respond to the moment, publicized in the news, we are also facing a challenge internally. Our resources have not been so constrained since the organization was established in 2012. Over $20,000 in government sponsorships for our 2025 conferences were abruptly cancelled in January. This left a hole in the 2025 budget at a terrible time. Federal grant funding has been the cornerstone of our fundraising, with foundation support providing the majority of the remainder, and individual donations representing about 1% of revenue.
I’m optimistic we will work with USDA to secure grant support in the future as the dust settles on what this Administration will or won’t support. However, at the moment, grant applications cycles are closed and not accepting proposals. We face an urgent financial need to cover expenses through the coming months.
Please support Interfaith Food generously with a tax deductible donation. If you can do this as an individual– yes we need it now–whether you can donate $50, $100 or $1,000 I assure you this will make a difference with our ability to operate in the short-term. I must ask not only for individual donations, but if your congregation has a Ministry or Committee, with flexibility to support our non-profit mission, please donate $500, $1,000 or whatever you can do.
Let us know what your congregation is doing in terms of a. advocacy, and b. direct programming to support people at risk. Please let us know if we can help with ideas, planning or advocacy resources.
Thank you for all you do,
Steve Schwartz
This message was excerpted from the Interfaith Food Spring 2025 Newsletter, sent on April 17, 2025.