The Adirondack Food System Network (AFSN) hosted the biggest installment of the Food Justice Summit to date in February, a gathering that brought together over 180 individuals representing more than 100 organizations at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

This event drew people from throughout the state in large numbers and showcased a diverse attendee and presenter list that spanned everything from agroecology to food policy, food as medicine to food hubs, and climate change to farm-to-institution.

The Heart Network was proud to sponsor this year’s summit. Our organization works with schools, communities, state agencies, nonprofits, and individuals to help decrease the incidence of chronic disease across the region — and food is a through-line for nearly all of our work.

Whether it’s working with classrooms on seed to tray programs, workshops for people with diabetes or other chronic conditions, or helping organizations with nutrition and wellness policies, so much of our work comes back to food and nutrition. There’s an abundance of research linking food insecurity and inadequate access to healthy food to chronic disease rates. Simply put, equitable access to healthy, nutritious food is foundational to improving the health of our communities.

The sense of interconnectedness was truly apparent throughout this year’s summit — specifically, given the amount of unknowns hanging over our field, the idea that together we can weather any storm and come out stronger served as an inspiration. Moreover, it was apparent that these types of events — and the role of AFSN to help spark innovation and shared practices across the region — is helping build food resiliency at the local level.

The Food Justice Summit and AFSN works to elevate the voices of advocates and agencies in the Adirondacks to identify gaps and put forward solutions to bolster our region’s food system. We’re grateful to AFSN for its dedication to lifting our collective voices.

Amy Kohanski is project director at The Heart Network, based in Saranac Lake, NY. She can be contacted at akokanski@heartnetwork.org. To learn more about The Heart Network, visit heartnetwork.org.