And the powerful role of women in the food justice movement

Grassroots Grocery proudly joins the celebration of Women's History Month. As always, we recognize the powerful role of women in the food justice movement.

From the scores of women community leaders we call “Grassroots Grocers” to young women who fight food insecurity at their schools with incredible energy, to tireless volunteers and organizers, women are at the beating heart of Grassroots Grocery.

In this post, we will highlight some incredible women in New York City who have worked to improve the food system, embodying the essence of vitality and empowerment that women bring!

Yadira Garcia: “Supporting food equity.”

Yadira Garcia is a community chef at Just Foods in New York City and teaches holistic ways to cook fresh, seasonal and local food. Her approach is not only about food—it's about fostering transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility.

Inspired by her mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she founded Happy Healthy Latina and is a co-owner of Loisa, a business that sells Latin kitchen products.

Through her two businesses, she promotes the idea that “Latin food is healthy food” by designing culturally appropriate kitchenware and seasonings. As she told Nashia Baker in an interview, Yadira does this work “through a lens of reclaiming and sharing knowledge, but also by promoting and supporting food equity and access for our communities.”

A tapestry of connections

A woman of color in the culinary world, Yadira has woven a tapestry of connections between community centers, schools, urban farms, community gardens, and food justice organizations. She believes in reclaiming and sharing knowledge, all while championing food equity and access for communities.

“Yadira believes in reclaiming and sharing knowledge, all while championing food equity and access for communities. ”

We at Grassroots Grocery are deeply impressed by Yadira’s commitment to making wholesome, sustainable, and delicious food accessible to all.

Check out Yadira’s Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and the Loisa website to learn more about her mission. Read more about her story here: Chef Yadira Garcia of Loisa Is Amplifying Her Ancestors’ Legacy Through Food Activism and Education.

Katherine Soll: A world of equity and security for all

Katherine Soll is the chief executive and founder of Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ), a youth-led social justice movement.

Since 2013 when TFFJ launched, they have been setting up student-manned hydroponic farms in schools including Dewitt Clinton Educational Campus and Urban Assembly Unison School. Every week, these farms produce thousands of pounds of produce to feed students and their communities.

Katherine’s passion and dedication to closing gaps in access to food, health care and opportunity in New York City is what food justice is all about.

She said to Deirde Appel in an interview for Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center: “It is my firm belief that we all have an obligation to build a world where there is equity and security for all and I hope that TFFJ can have a real impact in that process over time.”

Katherine’s aims to give young people autonomy and knowledge about growing their own food, while reducing food insecurity. It is truly inspiring.

Check out Teens for Food Justice. Read about Katherine’s story here: Women Changing the Food System in New York City.

Karen Washington: Building strong communities

Karen Washington has always recognized the importance of building strong communities to improve access to food.

After spending her childhood in the Lower East Side, Karen moved to Harlem where she gained a new sense of pride from living in a Black community.

Karen is incredibly involved in her community: from turning an empty lot in the Bronx into the thriving Garden of Happiness to forming the New York City Community Garden Coalition in order to prevent gardens from being sold off.Now, Karen serves as a board member for the New York Botanical Gardens and is the co-owner of the Rise & Root Farm in Chester.

In an interview with Deirde Appel, Karen says her inspirations are “[her] community in the Bronx - they are the ones who give me inspiration. Hard working people doing so much with limited resources but still we rise!!”

“Hard working people doing so much with limited resources but still we rise!!”

Karen is strongly dedicated to tackling food insecurity with community gardens.

Check out Karen’s website. Listen to her oral history in her own words here: New York Botanical Garden Oral History of Karen Washington.

Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Chang: “In this for humanity”

Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Chang founded Heart of Dinner at the onset of the pandemic to help their elderly or homebound Asian American neighbors by delivering culturally familiar meals to their doorsteps.

Originally a supper club founded in 2015, Heart of Dinner has brought almost 250,000 meals to those who need it most, combatting the isolation and racism experienced by Asian Americans during the pandemic.

Moonlynn and Yin partner with local independent restaurants, farms and food distributors to ensure their organization is using sustainable, ethically sourced ingredients, such as Asian heritage crops.

At Grassroots Grocery, we applaud Moonlynn and Yin’s efforts to make food accessible, while preserving sustainability, cultural appropriateness and locality.

In an interview with Time Out, Yin says: “We're all in this for humanity. We're showing up for our people — our humans. I hope people can clearly see that if you raise your hand to step up, we're all better for it”.

“We’re showing up for our humans”

Check out Moonlynn and Yin’s Heart of Dinner website. Read more about their story here: 9 amazing women who changed NYC for the better this year and Yin Chang and Moonlynn Tsai.

Thanks for being here with us as we celebrate and honor these, and all, remarkable women who work to make sure everyone has sustainable access to quality food, to community, and to joy.

As Women's History Month wraps up, let's keep being inspired by everyone out there making a difference as we take on food insecurity!

Inspired? Follow the example of these amazing humans!
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Celebrating Women’s History Month!