Growing a Healthy New York

Growing a Healthy New York Innovative Food Projects that End Hunger and Strengthen Communities East New York Farms! Youth Working to Address Hunger and to Protect and Restore Their Environment. Acknowledgements Hunger Action Network of New York State (HANNYS) and the Statewide Emergency Network for Social and Economic Security (SENSES) sincerely thank the programs highlighted in this manual for their contributions, dedication, and passion for ending hunger and promoting food justice. Each organization donated their time and effort to submit a description of their project to make this manual a diverse, detailed guide for those interested in establishing innovative projects in their communities. We would also like to thank Hunger Action's New York City intern, David Shiu, and Hunger Action's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Organizer, Benjamin Shute, for their contributions to the manual. We also thank Just Food and World Hunger Year for reviewing the list of programs. We commend the many different programs throughout the state that provide vital community services and supports, including but not limited to the invaluable work of Emergency Food Programs, community based organizations, faith groups, youth and senior services, as well as schools. Equally important is the hard work and determination of smaller New York farmers who are committed to selling their harvest to local communities, especially low-income communities. Each of these groups plays a critical role in the fight against hunger and the movement toward a more democratic distribution of food. We also thank the New York State Community Action Association, the New York State Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for funding this guide through the Community Food and Nutrition Program. Some support was also provided through the Indirect Vitamin Purchasers Antitrust Litigation Settlement administered by the New York State Attorney General. Susannah Pasquantonio, Community Food Coordinator, Hunger Action Network of NYS Sheila McCarthy, Community Food Coordinator, Hunger Action Network of NYS Dawn Secor, Associate Director, SENSES 275 State Street, 4th Floor 260 W. 36th St., Suite 504 Albany, NY 12210 New York, NY 10018 (518) 434-7371 • Fax (518) 434-7390 (212) 741-8192 • Fax (212) 741-7236 275 State Street Albany, NY 12203 [email protected] • www.hungeractionnys.org (518) 463-5576 Fax (518) 432-9073 Growing a Healthy New York - 2004 1 Table of Contents I. Acknowledgments………………………………………………………….. p. 1 II. Table of Contents…………………………………………………………... p. 2-3 III. Introduction………………………………………………………………… p. 4-5 IV. Innovative Food Projects 1. Community Food Projects Overview……………………………………………………………………….. p. 6 Food Bank of Central New York's Food Sense Program…………….………... p. 7-8 Food Bank of the Southern Tier's Grow an Extra Row Program……………… p. 9-10 Hunger Action Network's Seed & Seedling Distribution Program……………. p. 11-13 2. Community Food Security Overview……………………………………………………………………….. p. 14 East New York Farms!, Brooklyn…………………………………………….... p. 15-18 Gardenshare's "Eight Hands at Your Table" Campaign, Richville…………….. p. 19-20 Hannibal Central Schools' Farm to School Pilot Project………………………. p. 21-23 Northside Neighborhood Food Network, Ithaca……………………………….. p. 24-26 3. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Overview ………………………………………………………………………. p. 27 Canticle Farm, Allegany……………………………………………………….. p. 28-30 Chelsea CSA, New York City………………………………………………….. p. 31-33 Future Farms Solidarity Food Network, Chemung County……………………. p. 34-35 4. Community Gardening Overview ………………………………………………………………………. p. 36 Capital District Community Gardens, Troy……………………………………. p. 37-38 Chautauqua County Rural Ministry……………………………………………. p. 39-41 5. Ending Hunger through Economic Development Overview ………………………………………………………………………. p. 42 Added Value and Herban Solutions, Brooklyn………………………………… p. 43-45 Bullthistle Bounty, Catholic Charities of Chenango County…………………... p. 46-47 Taqwa Community Farm, Bronx………………………………………………. p. 48-49 Urban Delights, Syracuse………………………………………………………. p. 50-52 Growing a Healthy New York - 2004 2 6. Hunger Mapping & Community Food Assessments Overview ………………………………………………………………………. p. 53 Center for Popular Research, Education & Policy, Rochester…………………. p. 54-55 Food For Growth, Buffalo……………………………………………………... p. 56-59 Syracuse Hunger Project……………………………………………………….. p. 60-63 7. Improving New Yorkers' Nutrition Overview ………………………………………………………………….…… p. 64 FamilyCook Productions, New York City…………………………………….. p. 65-67 8. Federal Nutrition Program Outreach Campaigns Overview ………………………………………………………………………. p. 68 Community Service Society's RSVP/ACES, New York City…………………. p. 69-70 Food Bank of Central New York's Online Food Stamps Project…………….... p. 71-72 9. Food Recovery Overview ………………………………………………………………………. p. 73 Food Rescue: Island Harvest, Long Island…………………………………….. p. 74-75 Gleaning: Northeastern Regional Food Bank, Latham………………………… p. 76-77 V. Resource Section Community Food Projects……………………………………………………... p. 78 Community Food Security……………………………………………………... p. 78-83 Community Supported Agriculture…………………………………………….. p. 83-84 Community Gardening…………………………………………………………. p. 84-85 Ending Hunger through Economic Development……………………………… p. 85-87 Hunger Mapping & Community Food Assessments…………………………... p. 87 Improving New Yorkers' Nutrition…………………………………………….. p. 87-89 Federal Nutrition Program Outreach Campaigns…………………………….... p. 89-90 Food Recovery…………………………………………………………………. p. 91 Other Resources on Hunger………………………………………………….… p. 91-92 Growing a Healthy New York - 2004 3 Introduction In 1993, five neighbors in the Highbridge community of the south Bronx decided they needed to take action. A large vacant lot in their community was used as an illegal dumping ground and a center for drug activity. Day by day, the group cleared a small section of the lot only to find garbage in that same spot the next day. Eventually, they put up a fence and planted a garden. Today, the vacant lot has evolved into Taqwa Community Farm, where over 90 people are involved in cultivating their garden beds and growing food to feed themselves, their families, and the community. Taqwa is an oasis of green that serves as a true community center offering open green space, a safe haven, a site for social gatherings, and a wealth of food, educational opportunities and inspiration to the adults, seniors, and youth of the neighborhood. Not only does the land provide wholesome food to community residents, Taqwa has started a program to train youth in growing and selling food at the Taqwa farm stand. Projects such as the Taqwa Community Farm are a source of inspiration as they are fighting hunger while promoting community and economic development at the same time. This manual, Growing a Healthy New York, features programs that have all taken a different and innovative approach to ending hunger and promoting food justice in their community through economic development, providing job training to youth while increasing access to fresh food, increasing participation in federal nutrition programs, improving nutrition, and uniting people with local farmers. Growing a Healthy New York details 24 different programs from across New York State, including how community leaders and organizations started the programs and how they currently operate. Growing a Healthy New York provides many great ideas about projects that can be duplicated in your own community and it also connects you to informational resources to get you started. This manual is perfect for community based groups, faith groups, food programs, and community leaders who are working to end hunger and support their community. It is also helpful for farmers who are interested in developing new markets in different communities, including lower-income areas. There is a great need in New York to approach hunger in a more holistic way through projects that unite community members, community groups, and farmers. Over the last century, there have been many changes in how our food comes to us. America's food system has transformed from one where 50% of Americans lived on farms or in small rural communities where they fed themselves from locally grown foods to 80% of us living in or adjacent to cities. Food production is increasingly in the hands of large agricultural businesses, centralized and corporate structures, that are disconnected from and rarely responsive to local community needs. Farmers receive only about 11 cents on the dollar that consumers pay in supermarkets. Most of the food dollar is going into marketing, packaging, and distribution - food in the United States travels an average of 1400 miles and changes hands a half a dozen times before it is consumed. Growing a Healthy New York - 2004 4 At the same time, there is an epidemic of hunger in the richest nation in the world. In our state overall, a tenth of all New Yorkers are at risk of hunger (USDA) and about 1 in 5 children live in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau). Today, there are nearly 3,000 community based soup kitchens and food pantries (Emergency Food Programs) serving food to over 900,000 people each week. In New York City alone, the number of Emergency Food Programs has grown from about 30 identified in 1980 to over 1,000 today. Too many New Yorkers are forced to choose between food and other basic needs because they lack good jobs, adequate wages, childcare, or quality healthcare. New York has lost more than 300,000 net new jobs since 2001. More than 3 million New

Load more