Everyone’s talking about “food justice” these days, but what is it really? What are all the pieces at play? How do they all connect? Want to take action but don’t know where to begin? Whether this conversation is new or familiar to you, join us for a break down on the broken down food system.

In this new program series, we’ll examine the journey our food takes before—and after—it reaches our plates, each event through a different... lens. We’ll learn how the system is broken globally and locally, how we can try to fix it, and alternative best practices from local professionals, experts, and activists.

This first event will examine the food system from a labor perspective, featuring business owners and workers’ points of view, with panelists:

Yaron Milgrom-Elcott - father, husband, studied home cook, doctoral student in Medieval Jewish Mysticism at NYU, and owner of Local: Mission Eatery, a four-month old restaurant on 24th St.

Ron Strochlic - independent consultant working for a more just and sustainable food system. As Executive Director of the California Institute for Rural Studies, Ron promoted fair labor practices for agricultural workers as an integral component sustainable food. He currently consults with nonprofits and private sector firms interesting in creating a food system that treats the earth and those that work it with respect. Ron has an MA in Rural Sociology and has worked domestically and internationally.

Sandy Brown - Vice President, Swanton Berry Farm. Sandy Brown’s work on farm labor and sustainable agriculture attempts to bridge some of the many divides between agriculture, activism, and academia.  For the past six years she has worked with Swanton Berry Farm, the first organic strawberry farm in California and the first organic farm to have a contract with the United Farm Workers.  There she focuses on strategies for promoting social justice for farm workers, both within and beyond the farm gate.  Sandy is also a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Geography at UC Berkeley, researching the effects of certification and labeling programs on agricultural labor practices.

Moderator Heidi Winig has been working in the field of community health and education for the past 15 years. She holds Masters degrees in Public Health and in Education. Heidi is also a skilled Jewish educator, facilitator and group leader. She developed and led Jewish Service-Learning programs in the developing world for American Jewish World Service for many years, and worked with alumni of AJWS and AVODAH from 2006-2009 to help develop Pursue, one of the sponsors for this evening's program. Heidi was on the executive planning committee for the Hazon Food Conference last December, and is excited to continue to search for ways in that her passions for justice work, public health, and her spiritual grounding in Judaism are intertwined. Heidi currently lives in Santa Cruz with her husband Dave and her baby daughter Noa.


Presented in partnership with Hazon and Progressive Jewish Alliance. Cosponsored by EcoJews of the Bay.