Currently in the development stage and actively seeking funding, The Community of Maine Food Advocates (COMFA) – is a cross-sector grassroots group of food justice advocates with lived experience in Maine’s food system inequities, derived from racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression that interrupt food access through unjust policies related to housing, labor, transportation, healthcare, and more. Together, COMFA holds critical knowledge and insights that can shape policies for lasting impact on those most affected.
Interested in becoming a Policy Member?
COMFA will be developing a statewide membership base made up of individuals and organizations engaged in legislative or programmatic policy (known as “policy members”). Policy members will contribute to a sliding scale fund that compensates our “expert members”—community members with lived experience of inequity—for their time and expertise.
*Programmatic policies = the everyday practices and procedures organizations use to run their programs—these can shape people’s experiences just as much as official laws or regulations.
Policy Members will gain valuable insights through collaboration with expert members through forums such as:
Online listening forums that bring together diverse voices for collective learning.
Collaborative deep-dive discussions with trusted policy members to inform real-time decision-making.
Newsletters and resource briefs that highlight expert insights and share best practices—such as how to equitably engage and compensate impacted people, even when labeled as “volunteers.”
Interested in joining our Expert Member Team?
Expert members will choose how and when to engage, prioritizing their own safety and capacity. Members are supported by COMFA’s community safety net and compensated as experts—modeling the transformation we seek across systems: one where lived experience is recognized, respected, and resourced.
We know from personal experience—as people who have survived trauma and oppression—the deep wisdom, strength, and ancestral connection that come from living within and organizing against broken systems. That experience can bring vulnerability and friction, too, but it’s all part of learning and rebuilding communities rooted in real care. COMFA exists to support changemakers through that process, helping to move with grace while we transform the conditions that harm us.
How We Work
(Because how we work is just as important as what we do)
Cultivating long-term relationships grounded in respect and accountability.
Providing proper compensation for Expert Members’ emotional and mental labor.
Establishing clear boundaries and expectations for Policy Members to ensure stories, time, and expertise are treated with care.
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Welcoming and supporting potential members from a wide range of roles and experiences.
Conducting intentional outreach across sectors to strengthen visibility and shared understanding.
Building Trust and Relationships
Centering Impacted People
Led by Expert Members who hold lived experience in Maine’s food system.
Learning from and building on successful community-led models across the country.
Equitable and Socially Accountable Leadership
Creating just and transparent structures for Expert Members to collaborate in decision-making.
Supporting grassroots leaders so they can participate fully—prepared, resourced, and respected.