The Freshy Awards

Beginning in 2006, Nourish California hosted the first ever "Stampy" Awards at the then called "Food Stamp Forum". Inspiration was drawn from the "Dundees" of the show The Office, with the goal of bringing celebration and joy to the challenging work of food justice advocacy.

In 2011, this celebration of food justice leaders was transformed to the CalFresh Forum "Freshy Awards". Food stamps themselves evolved to become CalFresh food benefits, accessible with a debit card, to remove stigma from an essential program. This change was a result of the work of food justice advocates and organizations, including Nourish California itself. The awards thus changed too, including updated awards that held CalFresh EBT cards.

In the 2020s, the Freshy Awards broadened its recognition of dedication and hard work in the fight for food access. Food justice is a complex movement that is deeply connected to other fights for justice. To reflect that, Nourish California welcomes nominations for a wide range of actions, beyond those specifically related to CalFresh.

Community Impact Leader

Elianna Friedman

Together We Thrive

 

Food Access Powerhouse

Diego Fajardo

LA DPSS

 

Living the Mission

Paola Villareal

El Camino Community College

 

Beyond the Table Innovator

Alissa Moore

All of Us or None

 

Mobilizing Our Community

Che Yang

Center for Healthy Communities

 

Power in Partnership / Fuerza de la colaboración

Operation Healthy Hearts