Mission
COMFA is a cross-sector collaboration working to center those most impacted by inequities and advance economic, food, and environmental policies which support and promote a more equitable, just, resilient, and thriving food system.
Vision
We envision a Maine where a cross-sector community organizing model exists that moves the expertise of people directly impacted to the center of policy making that affects local economies, food, and the environment.
Values
We value building trust and relationships.
The foundation of COMFA is built on authentic trust. Authentic trust means slowing down to build relationships based on honest, clear, and transparent communication. We are committed to building relationships with all people that are impacted by the policies we seek to change, create, and build upon.
Powered by the Collective
We believe in collective action where cross-sector collaboration builds power for legislative policies that will improve the lives and circumstances of impacted communities.
Centering impacted people
People impacted by the full range of systemic inequities are decision-makers and leaders. We offer the training and financial support needed to become effective leaders.
Meet the Advisory Team
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Sass Borodkin
Resources for Organizing and Social Change, Executive Director
Sass Borodkin (they/them) is a community organizer, a poet and visual artist, and the Executive Director of Resources for Organizing and Social Change. Sass is also a queer, nonbinary survivor of chronic homelessness and a lifetime of poverty with a lot to say about what it feels like to not start earning a living wage until their children had grown up and moved out. The work Sass is most passionate about focuses on creating networks for heart-based relationship building, mutual aid and peer support, and efforts that help dismantle structures of oppression that devalue the lives of people with the least amount of political power.
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Sett Vincent
Sett Vincent is a published poet, a community organizer, and a lover of paradoxes. He is a father to some non-human kids, including many plants, a dog, and 4 chickens. He moved to Maine years ago after becoming homeless with his family in Connecticut, and has been trying to bloom since.
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Amanda Marino
Good Shepherd Food Bank
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Laura Thomas
Mano en Mano
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Emily Coffin
Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, Policy Coordinator
Emily is a lifelong seafood lover who grew up working on a lobster boat working in the family business. She cares deeply about advocating for marine harvesters and the communities they thrive in, as well as the next generation of fishermen.
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Annie Doran
Maine Food Convergence Project
Annie has been co-creating community organizing and system change projects since her early twenties-- from working with women artisans in Brasil, to food justice and climate advocates across Maine. Alongside coordinating the Maine Food Convergence Project, she is a single mother and has a consulting business: Imaginal Systems Consulting.
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Kirsten Tenney
Full Plates Full Potential, Community Engagement Manager
Born and raised in Downeast. Maine, with a love of learning, Kirsten has a unique understanding of rural areas and the needs of small communities. Years in the service industry, gardening and community education have solidified her belief that change is possible through creating and cultivating community.