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UNITED WAY OF NYC AND JUST FOOD EXPAND INITIATIVE TO DELIVER THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF LOCAL PRODUCE TO LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS

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In 2010, program will deliver more than 208,000 pounds of produce to communities

June 10, 2010  Printable Version

New York, NY – United Way of New York City (UWNYC) and Just Food, today announced Local Produce Link’s 2010 summer schedule to deliver fresh, locally grown vegetables weekly to 44 food pantries serving low-income neighborhoods in New York City. Operated with funding from the New York State Department of Health’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), Local Produce Link was inspired by the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, in which neighborhood groups receive weekly deliveries of produce from regional farmers. United Way and Just Food created Local Produce Link by refining the CSA model to better meet the needs of New York City food pantries and soup kitchens. By helping low-income New Yorkers secure access to nutritious food, Local Produce Link also helps local farmers absorb upfront costs and the risk of securing markets for their produce.

“New Yorkers who live below the poverty line consistently have higher rates of obesity and a diabetes rate that is three times greater than their fellow citizens,” said Gordon J. Campbell, President and CEO of United Way of NYC.  “United Way and Just Food’s unique community-based collaboration through Local Produce Link is a key component of our health-related efforts to significantly increase access to healthy, nutritious foods to combat obesity and its related illness in New York City’s underserved communities.”

“It means a lot to our local farmers to be able to serve this community, and the food pantry staff love this program because it gives them the rare opportunity to give out freshly-picked, really high quality produce,” says Just Food Executive Director Jacquie Berger.  “Our work is not just to provide vegetables: this program encourages clients to cook with their families, to develop healthy eating habits, and to connect with other resources that make farm-fresh produce easier to find and afford.”

For nine years beginning in 2001, UNWYC and Just Food have partnered on Local Produce Link. UWNYC selects and coordinates activities with the food pantries. Just Food recruits the farmers and organizes farm trips for food pantry staff, volunteers and clients.  One of the most important aspects of Local Produce Link is making sure that both emergency food providers and their clients understand the importance of eating healthy. Just Food’s community chefs and UWNYC’s nutritionists conduct cooking demonstrations on a regular basis and provide educational materials designed to help both staff and clients learn more about healthy eating habits and feel more confident about cooking with fresh vegetables.

First Day of Local Produce Link distribution and farmer drop-off times:
June 2: Long Island City, Queens (12-1 pm)
June 2: Flatbush, Brooklyn (2-3 pm)
June 4: West Harlem (8-9 am)
June 8: Bronx (12-1 pm)
June 10: Jamaica, Queens (12:30-1:30 pm)
June 10: Bed Stuy (2-3 pm)
June 16: Staten Island (10-11 am)
June 16: Coney Island (12-1 pm) ***FIRST YEAR at this location
July 6: Poe Park Greenmarket, Bronx, NY (8-10 am)
July 7: Mt. Sinai Greenmarket, NY, NY (8-10 am) ***FIRST YEAR at this location

Local Produce Link by the numbers in 2009:

• Numbers of Emergency Food Programs participating in 2009: 38 
• Pounds of local produce distributed to Emergency Food Programs in 2009: 160,000
• Number of New York City boroughs served in 2009: 5
• Amount of funds paid to local farmers in 2009: $244,470
• Number of food pantry staff, volunteers and clients who participated in cooking demonstrations: 1,000

According to a recent report by the Food Bank for New York City, in 2008, 48 percent or approximately 4 million New York City residents experienced difficulty affording needed food for themselves and their families, up from 2 million or 25 percent in 2003 (almost double) and up from 3.1 million or 38 percent in 2007 (a 26 percent increase). As the number of New Yorkers relying on food pantries and soup kitchens to feed their families grows, so too does the need for innovative programs like Local Produce Link providing fresh, healthy produce.   

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More Details about Local Produce Link
Local Produce Link was inspired by the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, in which neighborhood groups receive weekly deliveries of produce from regional farmers. UWNYC and Just Food developed Local Produce Link, which refines the CSA model to better serve and meet the needs of New York City food pantries and soup kitchens, as well as regional farms. By helping low-income New Yorkers secure access to nutritious food, Local Produce Link also helps local farmers absorb upfront costs and the risk of securing markets for their produce.

Through Local Produce Link, Just Food and UWNYC purchase fresh vegetables from local farmers. In exchange for payment at the beginning of the season, seven farms each currently deliver approximately 1,000 pounds of a variety of fresh and nutritious produce to a “hub” food pantry each week throughout the five-month growing season (June to mid-November), which is then split evenly among the host site and four additional food pantries in the community. This has proven to be a highly efficient distribution system; produce is distributed fresh into the hands of food pantry clients within 2 days of delivery to the hub.

Each food pantry receives approximately 180 pounds of fresh vegetables every week—divided into three vegetable categories— root (e.g., carrots, beets, potatoes), cooking or salad greens (e.g., lettuce, Swiss chard, cabbage, lettuce) and seasonal (e.g., sweet corn, zucchini, cucumbers). In 2008, Local Produce Link expanded delivery to all five boroughs of New York City with over 160,000 pounds of fresh produce (more than a 21% increase over the 132,000 pounds distributed in 2008) to 38 food pantries.  The demand for the services that Local Produce Link provides is underscored by our list of 30 additional qualified food pantries that would like to participate as funding becomes available.

A critical component of Local Produce Link is making sure that staff and clients of emergency food programs understand the importance of healthy eating and that they develop the skills and confidence to create healthy, culturally appropriate, and affordable meals for themselves and their families. To address this need, the partners organize “Community Chef” cooking demonstrations and provide educational resources to encourage both staff and clients to gain confidence in preparing produce. In addition, to help familiarize pantry staff and clients with the program, Local Produce Link organizes on-site “Meet Your Farmer” presentations held at the food pantries as well as visits to the farms (in 2009 more than 120 people participated over the course of six visits).

Though UWNYC and Just Food share overlapping responsibilities for the operations of Local Produce Link, which includes adherence to quality control, the strengths that each bring to the partnership tend to align with each organization’s mission and focus: UWNYC is primarily responsible for selecting and coordinating activities with the food pantries given its strong relationship with New York City’s community-based organizations; Just Food is responsible for selecting and coordinating activities with the farmers based on their experience in connecting local medium and small family farms with New York City neighborhoods since 1995. 

ABOUT UNITED WAY FOR NEW YORK CITY
United Way of New York City (UWNYC) creates, leads and supports strategic initiatives that seek to achieve sustainable city-wide improvements in the education, income stability, and health of low-income New Yorkers.  Since 1984, UWNYC has managed an anti-hunger and nutrition grant from the New York State Department of Health, Division of Nutrition's Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP).  Under United Way of New York City’s management, HPNAP is dedicated to improving the health and nutritional status of New Yorkers by providing food support, which must include at least 15% spending on fresh produce, as well as grants for equipment and operations, to emergency food programs throughout the five boroughs. www.unitedwaynyc.org

ABOUT JUST FOOD
Just Food is a non-profit organization that works to develop a just and sustainable food system in the New York City region. Our programs help keep local farms in business and build access to fresh, affordable, healthy food for New York City communities, including low income neighborhoods. We train local residents to share their skills with their neighbors in order to develop markets, grow food, and build awareness about the connections between environmental sustainability, healthy farms and healthy communities. www.justfood.org

CONTACT:

Kathy Walling United Way of New York City (212) 251-2476 KWalling@uwnyc.org

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