Food & Water Watch has fought for safe food, clean water, and a livable climate for 20 years. We organize with communities on the ground and take zero corporate donations. Our strength comes from people power — passionate folks like you committing their time, talents, and resources to build a livable future. 

Some of our most dedicated members serve on our Advisory Council, contributing their feedback and ideas toward the growth and improvement of the organization. 

Fred Osborn is one such Advisory Council member. “I was talking with my granddaughter Lila,” he told us recently. “I had apologized to her that my generation and I were leaving her such a messy world. She said, ‘That’s okay, Grandpa. You did your best to make the world better. We’ll have to take it from here.’”

Fred got involved with us more than a decade ago during our fight to ban fracking in New York. Though uncertain that it could be done, he participated anyway.

And then a few years later, we did it — we banned fracking statewide. “I was really surprised and pleased that it was still true that citizen action, when well-organized, well-targeted, sincerely delivered, can actually get stuff done,” he remembers.

Ten years after this win, Fred remains a vital part of our community, as have so many others who joined that fight. Alongside them and across the nation, we’ve grown our community to millions of dedicated people.

Now, Fred says, “I encourage you to get involved with Food & Water Watch, to help all of us make our world a better place. And I hope you’ll join Lila when she says, ‘We’ll take it from here!’”

Press the play button below to hear more from Fred!

Hear from other Advisory Council members on how our work together protects food, water, and climate — and how your investment drives real change across the country!

Fighting for Safe Food and Water for All

Food & Water Watch fights for two things everyone needs and deserves: safe food to eat and clean water to drink. Our work tackles the greatest dangers to these — from the mega-corporations making them unaffordable, to the pollution that contaminates them, to the climate chaos making them ever scarcer. 

These issues touch every corner of our lives, and we’re building a powerful movement to protect our shared needs and values. We work relentlessly toward a world where all of us — no matter our background, race, or class — have safe food, clean water, and a livable climate. Lynne Azarchi, director of Bias Busters and founder and former executive director of Kidsbridge Youth Center says: 

I’m passionate about Food & Water Watch because I became interested in environmental justice issues way back when in college. I joined the lettuce and grapes boycotts organized by Cesar Chavez, horrified to learn that farmworkers were being sprayed with pesticides. Today, I am equally horrified to learn about water and food in this country that are unsafe to drink and eat. 

Food & Water Watch is working to engage the next generation to have empathy, to care about others, and to take action. Lots of boots on the ground! This is the way to change hearts and minds.

Empowering Our Communities With Information to Make a Difference

Bill Gee and his wife, Sue Crothers, invest in work that advances environmental sustainability, women’s rights, and community well-being. As Bill recalls:

One of my favorite memories of working with Food & Water Watch was in Evanston, Illinois, and we had a showing of a film called Right to Harm, which is about the CAFO industry. Food & Water Watch did a great job with the One Earth film festival to put together a panel of Food & Water Watch experts, other stakeholders, and even the filmmaker, to answer questions with the audience members. 

That’s the kind of stuff Food & Water Watch does so well. They engage the community and create good discussion and good action after people think about what’s going on. They help them find a way to make a change to make a better world. 

Amid the noise of corporate talking points and misleading marketing, sharing the truth is more important than ever. Food & Water Watch exposes corporate price gouging, uncovers the reality behind climate scams, and breaks down the policies we need to protect our most precious resources. 

We share the information necessary to solve the biggest challenges of our times. But we don’t just leave people with the bad news. We give them the next steps they can take to make a real difference in their communities and bring more people into the movement.

Working On the Frontlines of Food, Water, and Climate

Food & Water Watch’s staff works in the places they live to gather power and defend their local food, water, and communities. In Pennsylvania, organizer Ginny Marcille-Kerslake is fighting pipelines and other dirty infrastructure in her community. In Idaho, lawyer Tyler Lobdell is reining in pollution from the factory farms that litter the state. And in California, organizer Andrea Vega is working with Los Angeles communities against dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure in their backyards.

Our staff also connects with the people hit hardest by threats to our food, water, and climate, and we make sure their voices get heard. From organizing a vigil for families impacted by cancer and toxic pesticides in Iowa to connecting communities harmed by factory farm pollution with lawyers at the Environmental Protection Agency, we work tirelessly to win real improvements in the lives of those whose health and futures are at greatest risk.

Says Natalie Pien, a retired school teacher and environmental scientist based in Virginia:

One of the favorite things I’ve worked with Food & Water Watch on was quite a while ago, when the Atlantic Coast pipeline was still in the plans. A young organizer with Food & Water Watch named Jolene Mafnas, we worked together to create a testimony event in Leesburg, VA. 

She used a pipeline prop that a climate group I’m with had built. She added more elements to it to make it very meaningful. And we had testimony from the frontline communities that we shared and recorded out. It was so important to be able to share those voices on that kind of a platform. 

Using All the Tools in Our Toolbox

Says Madelaine Haberman, from New York City and a member of our 2025 Benefit Host Committee:

I love that Food & Water Watch has so many tools in their toolbox and uses them so well. They organize protests and utilize lawyers, lobbyists, and researchers to provide the necessary information to address important issues. Because Food & Water Watch approaches problems and challenges from different perspectives, it allows individuals a variety of ways to get involved.

We know the most successful campaigns approach an issue from many angles. While our research team combs through the data to expose the harms of AI data centers, we’re organizing on the ground to stop these facilities from getting built. While we’re driving media attention to food giant mega-mergers, we’re submitting comments to agencies that result in stronger anti-monopoly regulations. 

We know that success comes from tackling a problem from all ends, which means stopping immediate threats while passing policy that creates a brighter future for generations to come.

Taking on Strategic Fights With Big Impacts 

Food & Water Watch works smarter and harder. We know that smart strategy must go hand-in-hand with bold action. Our sharp political analysis and strategic approach to campaigns are key to our wins.

We’re focused on what we want, who can make it happen, and how to pressure them into making it happen. We know the political landscapes we work in and what resonates most with our communities. 

This has driven twenty years of victories, many of which were called “impossible.” We banned fracking statewide in four states. We took on giants like Nestlé and won. And the result has been significant improvements in people’s lives.

Says Jon Pope, long-time volunteer with the Food & Water New York team and part of our 2025 Benefit Host Committee:

I first started volunteering with Food & Water Watch with the fracking ban in New York. Then in 2023, we passed the All Electric Buildings Act, which put into place the foundational block of the renewable energy economy in New York by requiring new buildings to be built without fossil fuels. So my two favorite memories of Food & Water Watch are when we stopped something that was horribly destructive, and we started something that brings us closer to the world we need!

I have limited time as a volunteer and Food & Water Watch provides a very clear path for my efforts to be effective and amplified. At Food & Water Watch, we stay laser-focused on the task at hand. And we win because we’re focused on issues that matter. 

Thank you to all our Advisory Council Members!

• Lynne Azarchi
• Lee Fahey
• Tracy Farwell
• Bill Gee
• Ellie Goldberg
• Madelaine Haberman
• Craig Merilees
• Natalie Pien
• Jon Pope
• Abi Rome
• Manijeh Saba
• Eric Strid
• Kitty Ufford-Chase
• Fred Osborn