Food Policy Council (FPC) of Buffalo & Erie County
The Food Policy Council of Buffalo and Erie County (FPC) Food Systems Excellence Awards Program recognizes exceptional projects carried out by municipalities, institutions, non-profit organizations, and individuals in Erie County that are likely to have a significant and lasting positive impact on the local food system. The program is designed to showcase and promote projects that can be replicated in communities across Erie County and beyond.
9/29/2026: Food Policy Council of Buffalo and Erie County Announces 2026 Food Systems Excellence Award Winners (press release)
- East Aurora High School Sustainable Agriculture Program (Community Impact, Education, and Engagement): The program was recognized for its work connecting students with sustainable agriculture and providing hands-on opportunities to learn about food production and the local food system.
- East Side Stewards (Food Access and Equity): East Side Stew
ards was recognized for its work advancing food access and equity in Buffalo’s East Side and strengthening community connections to healthy, locally available food.
- Providence Farm Collective (Food System Innovation): Providence Farm Collective was recognized for its significant contributions to a more inclusive and equitable local food system through its support of immigrant and refugee farmers and its community-based agricultural programs.
- Dwight Lowe and Home Beneath our Feet (Food System Leadership): Dwight Lowe was recognized for his leadership in empowering youth and families to address food insecurity and building community-based solutions through Home Beneath Our Feet.
- Rooted in Love (FPC Chair’s Choice Award): The FPC Chair’s Choice Award recognizes a project that stood out for its contribution to the local food system and its alignment with the FPC’s mission of advancing an equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system.
If you represent a municipality, institution, non-profit organization, or individual in Erie County that has recently (2023 or after) completed a project that has food system benefits, we invite you to submit a nomination for consideration for the 2027 Food Systems Excellence Awards Program once nominations open. Projects in the areas of food access, emergency food, local food, health and nutrition, urban agriculture, rural agriculture, education, or any other related subject are eligible.
Applications are evaluated by a panel of reviewers from the FPC, an advisory sub-commission of the Erie County Board of Health. It advocates for an equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food system by advising policymakers and connecting community stakeholders.
Award applications are no longer being accepted for 2026.