Liz Accles is Bringing People to the (Lunch) Table—and Transforming the New York Food System
Community Food Advocates’ Executive Director Liz Accles knows firsthand that it takes all of us—parents, students, unions, educators, public health practitioners, and policy-makers—to create positive change for children who face adversity. With a 30-year career in pursuit of social and economic justice, Liz built Community Food Advocates’ “Lunch 4 Learning” campaign that successfully advocated for free school meals for New York City in 2017. And Community Food Advocates co-led the The New York Healthy School Meals for All Coalition, as New York fully funded universal free school meals in May 2025—a monumental win for 2.7 million students and their families across the state. Liz Accles is our June Newmanitarian® of the Month!
“Liz’s exceptional leadership was instrumental in securing Healthy School Meals for All New York kids. Liz and the CFA team (along with campaign co-leads Hunger Solutions NY) strategically connected organizations throughout the state with national groups, bringing together Newman’s Own Foundation grantee partners like Food Research & Action Center, National Farm to School Network, The Chef Ann Foundation, Wellness in the Schools, and FoodCorps. Through Liz’s visionary leadership, this victory will not only benefit children in New York but also serves as a replicable model for systemic change that other states can follow.” —Christina Chauvenet, Newman’s Own Foundation
Liz identified Community Food Advocates’ recipe for change:
- Articulate your impact and vision to get people excited about your mission.
- Stay laser-focused on what you do.
- Coalition-building: bringing folks together who are not normally at the same table.
- Address the subtext: what are critics really saying? Then flip it on its head.
What is your mission?
Community Food Advocates utilizes high-impact public policy that ensures all New Yorkers have access to healthy, affordable, culturally affirming foods within an equity-centered, sustainable food system. High-impact public policy change is what drives us.
In the spirit of Paul Newman, how are you “raising a little hell” in your community?
- Looking at what is being said, examining the subtext, and then challenging that. When I started working in school meals, it was seen as separate from the school system. But we know that it’s connected: when universal free school meals are put in place–kids do better in school. I thought, “who do we need in the room?” and we brought in not just anti-hunger advocates but students, parents, cafeteria workers, teachers, and principals. When you have the range of knowledge, analysis, and experience working towards the same thing–that’s when you can make big change.
- Taking on big, bold challenges and systemic shifts through Community Food Advocates. We’re a small organization, but I’m very proud to say we’ve had an extraordinary impact. How we do it—and how we do it well—is by bringing together folks who haven’t necessarily sat around the table together and building coalitions. We live by the adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
What is an insight that has stuck with you?
Flipping the narrative about school meals. When policymakers speak about their childhood experience with school meals—that’s quite powerful. In the three years of advocacy on the New York state level for universal free school meals, we built overwhelming bipartisan support. And some of the most effective testimony came from politicians from both sides of the aisle who shared personal stories–particularly their experience with the stigma of receiving a free lunch as a kid. People all over can relate to that.
It’s also really impactful to show policymakers “before” and “after” photos of our redesigned cafeterias in New York City. Because people have such imprinted ideas about school meals, if you show them something different it really makes a big difference.
What brings you joy in your work?
Seeing the impact on kids! I’ve seen kids walk into redesigned NYC cafeterias and actually be happy to be there! When you go from a drab, devalued, institutional setting to student-friendly, vibrant cafeterias that give students a choice, the value of the food goes up. School food is then seen as a fun part of the day. And sharing food should be a joyful experience.
Principal Rashad Meade, Eagle Academy for Young Men in The Bronx shared, “What I’ve seen overnight, literally, is the whole stigma of school food shift because of the mere presentation of the food.”
How can people support your work?
- Support Community Food Advocates and get involved in our work
- Learn more about Healthy School Meals for All momentum across the country
Read more Newman’s Own Foundation grantee partner big wins in our 2024 Impact Highlights, including Community Food Advocates’ cafeteria redesign work.
