On May 24, 2024, AAFE Managing Director of Community Services Emily Rios testified before the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)  Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers.

AAFE hosts three monthly food pantries in Manhattan (Chinatown, Lower East Side, East Harlem),  providing more than 5,300 households each year with culturally appropriate fresh food. Rios expressed appreciation to the USDA for the agency’s important role in supporting our equitable food access programs and urged the federal government to expand resources available for community-based solutions.

“The expansion and variation of funding streams for individual community-based organizations with unique roots in underserved communities will crucially amplify the reach of culturally sensitive food pantry efforts,” said Rios. 

You can read AAFE’s complete testimony here:

AAFE Culturally Attuned Food Pantries | USDA Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers