On Friday afternoon, Sept. 25, Food Tank and Pilot Light will host “The Future of Food Education” during Climate Week NYC 2026. The invitation-only gathering will explore how meaningful food education can help young people make healthier choices, understand where their food comes from, and become leaders in building a better food and agriculture system.
Educators, school leaders, policymakers, chefs, nonprofit leaders, and advocates will come together to highlight what’s already working—and what it will take to make food education a meaningful part of every student’s learning experience.
“Incredible work is already happening in food education, but the question now is how we build on it so every student has the opportunity to learn about food,” says Alex DeSorbo-Quinn, Executive Director of Pilot Light.
“This summit brings together educators, policymakers, industry leaders, chefs, and advocates to share what’s working and think about what comes next. I hope participants leave seeing not only what’s possible, but also a path toward making food education part of every child’s education.”
Sessions will look at the barriers preventing schools from implementing food education, the models and resources that can help programs scale, and the role of local partnerships in extending learning beyond the classroom.
Farmer Linda Carmen Bryant, Co-Founder of the San Antonio Million Gardens Project and Pastor of Grant Community AME Church in Texas, will also take the stage to share her story of helping families grow their own food—and using gardening as a tool to build knowledge, connection, and community.
The event will begin at 1:30 PM at WNYC-NPR Studios’ The Greene Space in New York City, with food, drinks, and live musical performances. A reception will follow, with programming concluding at 4:30 PM.
Confirmed speakers include Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn, Executive Director, Pilot Light; Nancy Easton, Executive Director and Founder, Wellness in the Schools; Gerardo Martinez, Marine Corps Veteran and Founder, Wild Kid Acres; Taylor Meredith, Education Policy Advisor, Pilot Light; Shanon Morris, Chief Program Officer, Harlem Grown; Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank; Kim Severson, Journalist, The New York Times; Jeremy Walter, Deputy Executive Director, Office of School Wellness Programs, New York City Department of Education; and Karen Washington, Food Justice Advocate, Farmer, and Author.
“The Future of Food Education” will also feature a special musical performance by Jenna Bainbridge, a Broadway actor, singer, and disability rights advocate currently starring as Nessarose in Wicked. Bainbridge previously made history in Suffs as the first wheelchair user to originate a role in a new Broadway musical.
She will be joined by Maria Caputo, a New York-based composer, pianist, vocalist, music director, and Broadway music copyist whose work spans musical theater, jazz, classical, and contemporary music.
This summit will be streamed live on FoodTank.com and Food Tank’s YouTube channel, here. Join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders, and click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2026.
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Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
