Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this grant include both community members in the South Bronx and farmers in the Northeast region, especially New York State. For the purposes of this project, GrowNYC and partners defined the South Bronx as the following zip codes: 10451, 10452, 10453, 10454, 10455, 10456, 10457, 10459, 10460, and 10474. Community members in the South Bronx include residents and wholesale buyers including businesses, nonprofit organizations, senior centers, supportive housing programs, and schools. The specific communities targeted were Mott Haven, Melrose, Hunts Point, Longwood, Morrisania, Crotona, High Bridge, Concourse, Fordham, University Heights, Belmont, and East Tremont. On average, these communities are 1% Asian, 28% Black, 68% Latino, 2% White, and 1% other ethnicity. By age, these communities are, on average, 28% 0-17, 13% 18-24, 29% 25-44, 22% 45-64, and 9% over 65. In these communities, 31% of people live in poverty, a higher percentage than both the Bronx average (25%) and the New York City average (20%). GrowNYC's farmer target audience included all the Northeast region, but the majority of the farmers and cooperatives from whom we source are in New York State. In Year 2 of our grant, GrowNYC sourced from a total of 58 local food producers, 37 of whom are in New York State, and in Year 3 GrowNYC sourced from 52 local food producers. Our vendors produce vegetables, fruits, grains, dried beans, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and value-added items such as breads and salsas produced. We sourced from 2 hydroponic growers, 3 certified organic growers, and several other farms that offer organic lines of produce. We purchased from 6 farms owned by women and 4 owned by people of color, including one graduate of GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Program, now called FARMroots. Changes/Problems: In fall 2019, BronxWorks planned to operate their farmstand at the MacLaughlin Community Center through the winter and early spring, transitioning to a year-round model for the first time. However, due to operational limitations BronxWorks ultimately decided that a wintertime farmstand was not feasible. The funding that was not utilized to operate this winter farmstand provided critical support to keep the Project HOPE FFB site open and operating safely after the onset of COVID- 19. The site required additional staff, and staff worked longer hours to accommodate new operational protocols, including the need to appropriately distance and prepack all FFB shares rather than allow participants to assemble bags themselves. Overall, staffing costs for the FFB program increased during COVID, and CFP funding allowed us to keep this important fresh food access site open and increase distribution to meet the demand for fresh, healthy food in Hunts Point. Between the third year and fourth year, there were many staffing changes at GrowNYC, particularly with those working on the CFP grant. Key staff who wrote and initiated the grant left, along with their institutional knowledge. In addition to project directors changing, the gaps in the organization and the effects from the initial hit of the pandemic, caused GrowNYC to fall behind on reporting and drawdowns. A plan to modify the budget began, but due to so many staffing transitions and missing information, it took additional time to organize and catch up on internal financials in order to create NIFA financial reports. This setback jeopardized federal funding, but with the assistance and support from NIFA and new staff, we were able to overcome that risk in a timely manner by submitting the necessary modifications and documentation, catching up on all reporting, and drawing down funds. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? GrowNYC Fresh Food Box Site Coordinators received training all throughout the grant term to prepare them to successfully fulfill their roles as leaders in their local food systems. Training covered local agriculture, food distribution, food justice, customer service, bookkeeping, and promotion. All GrowNYC field staff received up to six hours of critical conflict mediation and de-escalation training, which aided them in enforcing COVID health and safety protocols both in 2020 and 2021. All staff were provided with hyperlocal resources for addressing food insecurity and assisting customers in using SNAP and other nutrition benefits. At BronxWorks, young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and food justice. As part of their food justice curriculum, teens working the BronxWorks farm stands created social media campaigns that raised awareness about nutrition, food access, and equity issues in the South Bronx. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?GrowNYC and partners promoted Fresh Food Box sites and farm stands widely via flyers/posters, tabling at community events, email newsletters, websites, social media, and other means. Though in-person outreach was somewhat restricted after the COVID-19 outbreak, GrowNYC created online outreach packets that were widely emailed to partner organizations, schools, and key stakeholders. Outreach was most heavily concentrated in the South Bronx, but partners also promote these sites Citywide and to other groups performing food access work on the State and community level. GrowNYC also conducted targeted outreach to wholesale buyers in the South Bronx such as nonprofits, senior centers, community gardens, health centers, businesses, and others. We also meet several times per year with agencies such as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department for the Aging and nonprofit partners such as Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, who operated a program that trains institutions to cook with whole and local foods, to discuss Citywide strategies that can facilitate our work with nonprofits and institutions in the South Bronx. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GrowNYC fulfilled its partnerships with South Bronx community partners who include Urban Health Plan, Children's Aid, and BronxWorks, and worked to build sustainable distribution routes for fresh, local foods in the South Bronx. These program sites also formed the basis of distribution routes that allow GrowNYC to provide local produce to other community-based wholesale food buyers.Existing distribution routes supported an expansion to meet the growing demand among new partners providing retail access and emergency food. As demand increased throughout the grant term, GrowNYC increased purchases from local farm partners whose markets were severely disrupted by the pandemic.Our subrecipient, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, further highlighted in their final evaluation that despite the challenges and disruption the pandemic brought in the second and third years of the project, it also lowered barriers to entry for new clients, increased participation, and increased awareness in food access and food security issues. The USDA CFP funding allowed GrowNYC's FFB model to grow and expand with the support from South Bronx community partners which ultimately grew the program's impact. Goal 1 In Years 1 through 3, GrowNYC maintained partnerships with Urban Health Plan, Children's Aid, and Bronxworks to build sustainable distribution routes for fresh, local foods in the South Bronx. Each year, distribution of and access to local, healthy, high-quality affordable foods in South Bronx communities increased because existing retail models expanded. In Year 3, we distributed more than 138,500 pounds of produce directly to consumers via GrowNYC's Project HOPE and Montefiore Bronx Health Collective Fresh Food Box (FFB) sites, three Children's Aid FFB sites, and two BronxWorks farm stands. In Year 4, Montefiore was the only CFP partner that continued operating under our Fresh Food Box programming. FromSeptember 2021 until the end of the grant term inAugust 2022, just under 10,000 pounds of produce were distributed to Montefiore.In total, across the grant term, GrowNYC and partners increased distribution via these by more than 38%. In addition to increasing food access via direct retail models, GrowNYC Wholesale distributed an additional 315,400 pounds of produce to wholesale buyers including businesses, schools, nonprofits, and food pantries. Notable partners include the Department of School Food's Garden to Café program; Lantern Community Services, whose Food for Life program is modeled after GrowNYC's FFB Program; Community Access; City Meals on Wheels; NY Common Pantry; Corbin Hill Food Project; and Graham Windham. When COVID-19 disruption started in March 2020, GrowNYC and partners performed critical roles in safeguarding access to healthy, affordable foods in the South Bronx. Urban Health Plan sourced more than 60,000 pounds of fresh produce from GrowNYC for free food distribution events. In addition to our CFP partners, GrowNYC expanded our relationships with other partners such as Community Access, who increased distribution more than 20%. GrowNYC also continued to operate its Emergency Fresh Food Box program (which ended on October 31, 2021) through a contract with the DSNY. Through this Emergency Fresh Food Box program, GrowNYC provided hundreds of food boxes on a weekly basis to South Bronx partner organizations, including Bridge Builders, BronxWorks, Project Hope, MASA-Mex. Ed, Nos Quedamos, and Urban Health Plan. In terms of poundage, this amounted to over 730,000 lbs of emergency food distributed. During September 2020 through August 2021, GrowNYC Wholesale with the Nourish NY initiative and other partnersdistributed over 16,000 lbs of Nourish-qualified NYS agricultural products to partner organizations serving South Bronx communities impacted by food insecurity. The following year from September 2021 through August 2022, GrowNYC distributed over 74,000 lbs of Nourish-qualified products to partner organizations addressing issues of food insecurity in the South Bronx including Catholic Charities Community Services, Mission Helping Hand, Morrisania Revitalization Corporation, St. Luke's Food Pantry, and Webster Houses NYCHA. In Year 4, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute completed its subrecipient obligation to produce an evaluation of GrowNYC's Fresh Food Box (FFB) program in the South Bronx across the three years. A total of 72 FFB participants (approximately10% of total FFB customer pool) completed the FFB participant survey, representing diverse demographic groups. Those who completed the survey reported high levels of FFB participation, with 71% participating "every week".Further, 97% of participants reported they were "likely" or "very likely" to continue participating in FFB over the next few months. The surveys, interviews, and overall evaluation showed that the pandemic increased participation, interest, and client investment and retention in FFB program. Those who had participated previously in the program deepened their level of commitment and increased frequency of participation. Goal 2 GrowNYC and our partners began this project with the intention of building distribution routes that would provide affordable access to healthy foods in the South Bronx. An unforeseen benefit of this project was the fact that our established delivery routes provided the foundation for immediate and efficient expansion of our food distribution activities in the South Bronx as organizations throughout the community established emergency food access points in response to the crisis. Our established retail sites expanded thanks to new partnerships and by shifting from seasonal to year-round operations.GrowNYC was able to serve new partners on routes anchored by these consistent locations. Goal 3 Over the course of Year 2, 11 South Bronx residents have filled key roles in ensuring the successof our FFB and farm stand programs, with 10 South Bronx residents filling key roles in Year 3. GrowNYC's FFB Site Coordinators and the Children's Aid FFB team curated produce shares for their sites; created newsletters that describe how to use produce included in each share; oversaw distribution and took orders for future weeks. Prior to the pandemic, staff conducted cooking demonstrations and distributedproduce samples and conducted outreach in the community by distributing flyers and attending meetings and events. Urban Health Plan's FFB liaison, also a South Bronx resident, supported the GrowNYC Site Coordinator during distribution and promoted the program to patients and other community members. At BronxWorks, 3 young people from BronxWorks' teen programs worked at two farm stands to provide their community with access to fresh, healthy foods. These young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and small business skills. In addition, BronxWorks provided training in food justice, and coached the teen staff in creating social media posts that promoted the farm stands and raised awareness about food access and food justice issues. Goal 4 Just as GrowNYC's wholesale distribution programs make fresh foods available in communities that would otherwise lack access to these products, we also provide farmers with markets that they would otherwise be unable to reach. In Year 2 of our grant, farmer income for products GrowNYC distributed in the South Bronx increased more than 54% and rose to $270,218, up from $175,000 in Year 1. In Year 3 of our grant, farmer income for products GrowNYC distributed in the South Bronx rose to $339,593, up from $270,218 in Year 2, which is an increase of more than 25%. In Year 4, farmer income for products GrowNYC distributed in the South Bronx increased to $615,877. The growth over the years was due to the continued growth in partnerships with organizations. Farmer income surpassed our original goal of $580,000.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this grant include both community members in the South Bronx and farmers in the Northeast region, especially New York State. For the purposes of this project, GrowNYC and partners define the South Bronx as the following zip codes: 10451, 10452, 10453, 10454, 10455, 10456, 10457, 10459, 10460, and 10474. Community members in the South Bronx include residents and wholesale buyers including businesses, nonprofit organizations, senior centers, supportive housing programs, and schools. The specific communities targeted are Mott Haven, Melrose, Hunts Point, Longwood, Morrisania, Crotona, High Bridge, Concourse, Fordham, University Heights, Belmont, and East Tremont. On average, these communities are 1% Asian, 28% Black, 68% Latino, 2% White, and 1% other ethnicity. By age, these communities are, on average, 28% 0-17, 13% 18-24, 29% 25-44, 22% 45-64, and 9% over 65. In these communities, 31% of people live in poverty, a higher percentage than both the Bronx average (25%) and the New York City average (20%). GrowNYC's farmer target audience includes all of the Northeast region, but the majority of the farmers and cooperatives from whom we source are in New York State. In Year 2 of our grant, GrowNYC sourced from a total of 58 local food producers, 37 of whom are located in New York State. Our vendors produce vegetables, fruits, grains, dried beans, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and value added items such as breads and salsas produced. We sourced from 2 hydroponic growers, 3 certified organic growers, and several other farms that offer organic lines of produce. We purchased from 6 farms owned by women and 4 owned by people of color, including one graduate of GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Program, now called FARMroots. Changes/Problems:In fall 2019, BronxWorks planned to operate their farmstand at the MacLaughlin Community Center through the winter and early spring, transitioning to a year-round model for the first time. However, due to operational limitations BronxWorks ultimately decided that a winter time farmstand was not feasible. The funding that was not utilized to operate this winter farmstand provided critical support to keep the Project HOPE FFB site open and operating safely after the onset of COVID-19. The site required additional staff, and staff worked longer hours to accommodate new operational protocols, including the need to appropriately distance and prepack all FFB shares rather than allow participants to assemble bags themselves. Overall, staffing costs for the FFB program increased by 36% during COVID, and CFP funding allowed us to keep this important fresh food access site open and increase distribution to meet the demand for fresh, healthy food in Hunts Point. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?GrowNYC Fresh Food Box Site Coordinators received training to prepare them to successfully fulfill their roles as leaders in their local food systems. Training covered local agriculture, food distribution, food justice, customer service, bookkeeping, and promotion. Importantly, in 2021 all GrowNYC field staff received up to six hours of critical conflict mediation and de-escalation training, which aided them in enforcing COVID health and safety protocols. All staff were provided with hyperlocal resources for addressing food insecurity and assisting customers in using SNAP and other nutrition benefits. At BronxWorks, young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and food justice. As part of their food justice curriculum, teens working the BronxWorks farm stands created social media campaigns that raised awareness about nutrition, food access, and equity issues in the South Bronx. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?GrowNYC and partners promote Fresh Food Box sites and farm stands widely via flyers/posters, tabling at community events, email newsletters, websites, social media, and other means. Though in-person outreach was somewhat restricted after the COVID-19 outbreak, GrowNYC created online outreach packets that were widely emailed to partner organizations, schools, and key stakeholders. Outreach was most heavily concentrated in the South Bronx, but partners also promote these sites Citywide and to other groups performing food access work on the State and community level. GrowNYC also conducts targeted outreach to wholesale buyers in the South Bronx such as nonprofits, senior centers, community gardens, health centers, businesses, and others. We also meet several times per year with agencies such as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department for the Aging and nonprofit partners such as Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, who operates a program that trains institutions to cook with whole and local foods, to discuss Citywide strategies that can facilitate our work with nonprofits and institutions in the South Bronx. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?GrowNYC and partners will continue to operate the Project H.O.P.E. Fresh Food Box, the Montefiore South Bronx Health Center Fresh Food Box site (opened Sept 2020), two BronxWorks farm stands, and three Children's Aid Food Box sites. GrowNYC Wholesale will also continue to serve dozens of nonprofit and institutional clients in the South Bronx, allowing them to meet their goals for incorporating fresh, healthy foods into their programs and services. GrowNYC Wholesale staff will continuously conduct outreach to new organizations, including providing training and technical assistance to new partners seeking to operate their own food retail and distribution sites. Thanks to a contract renewal from the City of New York until June 30, 2021, GrowNYC Wholesale will also continue to distribute Emergency Fresh Food Boxes to partners in the South Bronx.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
What was accomplished under these goals? GrowNYC and partners Urban Health Plan, Children's Aid, and BronxWorks continued working to build sustainable distribution routes for fresh, local foods in the South Bronx.GrowNYC and partners have established innovative direct-retail programs that provide South Bronx residents with access to high-quality, affordable foods. These program sites also form the basis of distribution routes that allow GrowNYC to provide local produce to other community-based wholesale food buyers. In Year 3, we expanded our partnerships to include Montefiore Bronx Health Collective, where we established a new Fresh Food Box distribution site that opened in September of 2020. This year, as in the previous year, the already under-resourced communities of the South Bronx continued to be further challenged by the devastating impacts of COVID-19. After the outbreak, distribution networks established under this project became even more essential. Our retail sites were increasingly sought out by community members seeking fresh, affordable foods, and safe, outdoor shopping options. Existing distribution routes supported an expansion to meet the growing demand among new partners providing retail access and emergency food. Furthermore, in responding to this increased demand, we increased purchases from local farm partners whose typical markets were severely disrupted by the pandemic. In total, GrowNYC and partners increased distribution of local foods in the South Bronx by more than 65% this year. Goal 1: In Year 3 of our CFP grant, GrowNYC and partners again increased distribution of local foods in the South Bronx by expanding existing direct retail efforts as well as establishing new partnerships. In total, we distributed more than 138,500 pounds of produce directly to consumers via GrowNYC's Project HOPE and Montefiore Bronx Health Collective Fresh Food Box (FFB) sites, three Children's Aid FFB sites, two BronxWorks farm stands. In total, GrowNYC and partners increased distribution via these by more than 38%. In addition to increasing food access via direct retail models, GrowNYC Wholesale (formerly Greenmarket Co.) distributed an additional 315,400 pounds of produce to wholesale buyers including businesses, schools, nonprofits, and food pantries. Notable partners include the Department of School Food's Garden to Café program; Lantern Community Services, whose Food for Life program is modeled after GrowNYC's FFB Program; Community Access; City Meals on Wheels; NY Common Pantry; Corbin Hill Food Project; and Graham Windham. When COVID-19 upended life as we knew it in March 2020, GrowNYC and partners performed critical roles in safeguarding access to healthy, affordable foods in the South Bronx.. Children's Aid, doubled participation in their Bronx Family Center Site and tripled at their CS211 site. Urban Health Plan sourced more than 60,000 pounds of fresh produce from GrowNYC for free food distribution events. In addition to our CFP partners, GrowNYC expanded our relationships with other partners such as Community Access, who increased their distribution more than 20%. GrowNYC also continued to operate its Emergency Fresh Food Box program (which ended on Oct 31 2021) through a contract with the DSNY. Through this Emergency Fresh Food Box program, GrowNYC provided hundreds of emergency food boxes on a weekly basis to six South Bronx partner organizations, including Bridge Builders, BronxWorks, Project Hope, MASA-MexEd, Nos Quedamos, and Urban Health Plan. In terms of poundage, this amounted to over 730,000 lbs of emergency food distributed. During September 2020 through August 2021, GrowNYC Wholesale also established core Nourish New York initiative food bank partnerships with St. John's Bread and Life, Part of the Solution Bronx, United Way of New York, and Coalition for the Homeless. Through the Nourish NY initiative, GrowNYC distributed over 16,000 lbs of Nourish-qualified NYS agricultural products to partner organizations serving South Bronx communities impacted by food insecurity. Goal 2: GrowNYC and our partners began this project with the intention to build distribution routes that would provide affordable access to healthy foods in the South Bronx. An unforeseen benefit of this project was the fact that our established delivery routes provided the foundation for immediate and efficient expansion of our food distribution activities in the South Bronx as organizations throughout the community established emergency food access points in response to the crisis. Our established retail sites expanded thanks to new partnerships and by shifting from seasonal to year-round operations, and GrowNYC was able to serve new partners on routes anchored by these consistent locations. Goal 3: Over the course of Year 3 of our CFP project, 10 South Bronx residents filled key roles in ensuring the success of our FFB and farm stand programs. GrowNYC's FFB Site Coordinators and the Children's Aid FFB team curated produce shares for their sites; created newsletters that described how to use produce included in each share; and oversaw distribution and took orders for future weeks. Prior to the pandemic, these staff conducted cooking demonstrations and distributed produce samples, and conducted outreach in the community by distributing flyers and attending meetings and events. Urban Health Plan's FFB liaison, also a South Bronx resident, supported the GrowNYC Site Coordinator during distribution and promoteed the program to patients and other community members. At BronxWorks, 3 young people from BronxWorks' teen programs work at two farm stands to provide their community with access to fresh, healthy foods. In the spring of 2020, these young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and small business skills. In addition, BronxWorks provided training in food justice, and coached the teen staff in creating social media posts that promoted the farmstands and raised awareness about food access and food justice issues. Goal 4: Just as GrowNYC's wholesale distribution programs make fresh foods available in communities that would otherwise lack access to these products, we also provide farmers with markets that they would otherwise be unable to reach. By pooling the demand of wholesale buyers throughout the City and providing aggregation space and distribution infrastructure, GrowNYC allows farmers to gain access to dispersed, underserved markets while making efficient deliveries to a single location. In Year 3 of our grant, farmer income for products GrowNYC distributed in the South Bronx rose to $339,593 up from $270,218 in year 2. This increase of more than 25% was due in large part to the growth in partnerships with organizations providing emergency food as a result of COVID-19. Whereas many emergency food providers focus on the cheapest possible options and often favor large food corporations, GrowNYC worked to put emergency food dollars into the pockets of local farmers, who were hugely impacted by the pandemic. Over the three years that this grant has been active, farmer income totaled $784,811, 35% higher than our original goal of $580,000. To create prepacked boxes of produce for our Emergency Fresh Food Box contract with the City of New York, GrowNYC collaborated with longtime partner, Upstate New York Growers and Packers Association (UNYGPA). UNYGPA sourced hundreds of thousands of pounds of New York State produce for Emergency Fresh Food Box, finding homes for products grown specifically for large retailers who canceled contracts due to the pandemic.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this grant include both community members in the South Bronx and farmers in the Northeast region, especially New York State. For the purposes of this project, GrowNYC and partners define the South Bronx as the following zip codes: 10451, 10452, 10453, 10454, 10455, 10456, 10457, 10459, 10460, and 10474. Community members in the South Bronx include residents and wholesale buyers including businesses, nonprofit organizations, senior centers, supportive housing programs, and schools. The specific communities targeted are Mott Haven, Melrose, Hunts Point, Longwood, Morrisania, Crotona, High Bridge, Concourse, Fordham, University Heights, Belmont, and East Tremont. On average, these communities are 1% Asian, 28% Black, 68% Latino, 2% White, and 1% other ethnicity. By age, these communities are, on average, 28% 0-17, 13% 18-24, 29% 25-44, 22% 45-64, and 9% over 65. In these communities, 31% of people live in poverty, a higher percentage than both the Bronx average (25%) and the New York City average (20%). GrowNYC's farmer target audience includes all of the Northeast region, but the majority of the farmers and cooperatives from whom we source are in New York State. In Year 2 of our grant, GrowNYC sourced from a total of 58 local food producers, 37 of whom are located in New York State. Our vendors produce vegetables, fruits, grains, dried beans, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and value added items such as breads and salsas produced. We sourced from 2 hydroponic growers, 3 certified organic growers, and several other farms that offer organic lines of produce. We purchased from 6 farms owned by women and 4 owned by people of color, including one graduate of GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Program, now called FARMroots. Changes/Problems:In fall 2019, BronxWorks planned to operate their farmstand at the MacLaughlin Community Ccenter through the winter and early spring, transitioning to a year-round model for the first time. However, due to operational limitations BronxWorks ultimately decided that a winter time farmstand was not feasible. The funding that was not utilized to operate this winter farmstand provided critical support to keep the ProjectHOPE FFB site open and operating safely after the onset of COVID-19. The site required additional staff, and staff worked longer hours to accommodate new operational protocols, including the need to appropriately distance and prepack all FFB shares rather than allow participants to assemble bags themselves. Overall, staffing costs for the FFB program increased by 36% during COVID, and CFP funding allowed us to keep this important fresh food access site open and increase distribution to meet the demand for fresh, healthy food in Hunts Point. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?GrowNYC Fresh Food Box Site Coordinators received training to prepare them to successfully fulfill their roles as leaders in their local food systems. Training covered local agriculture, food distribution, food justice, customer service, bookkeeping, and promotion. Importantly, in 2020 all GrowNYC field staff received up to six hours of critical conflict mediation and de-escalation training, which aided them in enforcing COVID health and safety protocols. The training helped our staff project a sense of calm during a time of unprecedented tension and unease in NYC. All staff were provided with hyperlocal resources for addressing food insecurity and assisting customers in using SNAP and other nutrition benefits. At BronxWorks, young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and food justice. As part of their food justice curriculum, teens working the BronxWorks farm stands created social media campaigns that raised awareness about nutrition, food access, and equity issues in the South Bronx. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?GrowNYC and partners promote Fresh Food Box sites and farm stands widely via flyers/posters, tabling at community events, email newsletters, websites, social media, and other means. Though in-person outreach was somewhat restricted after the COVID-19 outbreak, GrowNYC created online outreach packets that were widely emailed to partner organizations, schools, and key stakeholders. Outreach was most heavily concentrated in the South Bronx, but partners also promote these sites Citywide and to other groups performing food access work on the State and community level. GrowNYC also conducts targeted outreach to wholesale buyers in the South Bronx such as nonprofits, senior centers, community gardens, health centers, businesses, and others. We also meet several times per year with agencies such as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department for the Aging and nonprofit partners such as Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, who operates a program that trains institutions to cook with whole and local foods, to discuss Citywide strategies that can facilitate our work with nonprofits and institutions in the South Bronx. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?GrowNYC and partners will continue to operate the Project H.O.P.E. Fresh Food Box, the Montefiore South Bronx Health Center Fresh Food Box site (opened Sept 2020), two BronxWorks farm stands, and three Children's Aid Food Box sites. GrowNYC Wholesale will also continue to serve dozens of nonprofit and institutional clients in the South Bronx, allowing them to meet their goals for incorporating fresh, healthy foods into their programs and services. GrowNYC Wholesale staff will continuously conduct outreach to new organizations, including providing training and technical assistance to new partners seeking to operate their own food retail and distribution sites. Thanks to a contract renewal from the City of New York until June 30, 2021, GrowNYC Wholesale will also continue to distribute Emergency Fresh Food Boxes to partners in the South Bronx.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
GrowNYC and partners Urban Health Plan, Children's Aid, and BronxWorks are working to build sustainable distribution routes for fresh, local foods in the South Bronx. GrowNYC and partners have established innovative direct-retail programs that provide South Bronx residents with access to high-quality, affordable foods. These program sites also form the basis of distribution routes that allow GrowNYC to provide local produce to other community-based wholesale food buyers. This year, the already under-resourced communities of the South Bronx were further challenged by the devastating impacts of COVID-19. After the outbreak, distribution networks established under this project became even more essential. Our retail sites were increasingly sought out by community members seeking fresh, affordable foods, and safe, outdoor shopping options, and existing distribution routes supported expansion to meet the growing demand among new partners providing retail access and emergency food. Furthermore, in responding to this increased demand, we increased purchases from local farm partners whose typical markets were severely disrupted by the pandemic. In total, GrowNYC and partners increased distribution of local foods in the South Bronx by more than 50% this year. Goal 1: In Year 2 of our CFP grant, GrowNYC and partners greatly increased distribution of local foods in the South Bronx by expanding existing direct retail efforts as well as establishing new partnerships. In total, we distributed more than 100,000 pounds of produce directly to consumers via GrowNYC's Project HOPE Fresh Food Box (FFB) site, three Children's Aid FFB sites, and two BronxWorks farm stands. In total, GrowNYC and partners increased distribution via these by more than 53%. In addition to increasing food access via direct retail models, GrowNYC Wholesale (formerly Greenmarket Co.) distributed an additional 325,000 pounds of produce to wholesale buyers including businesses, schools, nonprofits, and food pantries. Notable partners include UnitedWay; the Department of School Food's Garden to Café program; Lantern Community Services, whose Food for Life program is modeled after GrowNYC's FFB Program; Community Access; and Graham Windham. When COVID-19 upended life as we knew it in March 2020, GrowNYC and partners performed critical roles in safeguarding access to healthy, affordable foods in the South Bronx. In particular, the FFB model was well-suited to the COVID context because it emphasized grab and go service. At the ProjectHOPE FFB, the Hunts Point nonprofit Graham Windham sourced FFB shares for distribution to 50 families weekly in July and August, reporting that fresh produce was specifically requested by the families. Children's Aid, who in the past operated seasonal food box sites, now operates year-round to meet the food access needs of their families. Urban Health Plan sourced more than 40,000 pounds of fresh produce from GrowNYC for free food distribution events. In addition to our CFP partners, GrowNYC expanded our relationships with other partners such as Community Access, who increased their distribution more than tenfold. Finally, through a contract with the City of New York and a partnership with a USDA Farmers to Families Food Box contractor, GrowNYC operated an Emergency Food Box program from March-August, which provided hundreds of boxes each week to four South Bronx organizations. Goal 2: GrowNYC and our partners began this project with the intention to build distribution routes that would provide affordable access to healthy foods in the South Bronx. An unforeseen benefit of this project was the fact that our established delivery routes provided the foundation for immediate and efficient expansion of our food distribution activities in the South Bronx as organizations throughout the community established emergency food access points in response to the crisis. Our established retail sites expanded thanks to new partnerships and by shifting from seasonal to year-round operations, and GrowNYC was able to serve new partners on routes anchored by these consistent locations. Though we saw the closure of at least 10 distribution sites due to COVID-19, we established 10 new sites, an increase of roughly 20%. Goal 3: Over the course of Year 2 of our CFP project, 11 South Bronx residents have filled key roles in ensuring the success of our FFB and farm stand programs. GrowNYC's FFB Site Coordinators and the Children's Aid FFB team curate produce shares for their sites; create newsletters that describe how to use produce included in each share; and oversee distribution and take orders for future weeks. Prior to the pandemic, these staff conducted cooking demonstrations and distributed produce samples, and conducted outreach in the community by distributing flyers and attending meetings and events. Urban Health Plan's FFB liaison, also a South Bronx resident, supports the GrowNYC Site Coordinator during distribution and promotes the program to patients and other community members. At BronxWorks, 3 young people from BronxWorks' teen programs work at two farm stands to provide their community with access to fresh, healthy foods. In the spring of 2020, these young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and small business skills. In addition, BronxWorks provided training in food justice, and coached the teen staff in creating social media posts that promoted the farm stands and raised awareness about food access and food justice issues. Goal 4: Just as GrowNYC's wholesale distribution programs make fresh foods available in communities that would otherwise lack access to these products, we also provide farmers with markets that they would otherwise be unable to reach. By pooling the demand of wholesale buyers throughout the City and providing aggregation space and distribution infrastructure, GrowNYC allows farmers to gain access to dispersed, underserved markets while making efficient deliveries to a single location. In Year 2 of our grant, farmer income for products GrowNYC distributed in the South Bronx rose to $270,218, up from $175,000 in year 1. This increase of more than 54% was due in large part to the growth in partnerships with organizations providing emergency food as a result of COVID-19. Whereas many emergency food providers focus on the cheapest possible options and often favor large food corporations, GrowNYC worked to put emergency food dollars into the pockets of local farmers, who were hugely impacted by the pandemic. To create prepacked boxes of produce for our Emergency Fresh Food Box contract with the City of New York, GrowNYC collaborated with longtime partner, Upstate New York Growers and Packers Association (UNYGPA). UNYGPA sourced hundreds of thousands of pounds of New York State produce for Emergency Fresh Food Box, finding homes for products grown specifically for large retailers who canceled contracts due the pandemic.
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this grant include both community members in the South Bronx and farmers in the Northeast region, especially New York State. Community members in the South Bronx include residents and wholesale buyers including businesses, nonprofit organizations, senior centers, supportive housing programs, and schools. The specific communities targeted are Mott Haven, Melrose, Hunts Point, Longwood, Morrisania, Crotona, High Bridge, Concourse, Fordham, University Heights, Belmont, and East Tremont. On average, these communities are 1% Asian, 28% Black, 68% Latino, 2% White, and 1% other ethnicity. By age, these communities are, on average, 28% 0-17, 13% 18-24, 29% 25-44, 22% 45-64, and 9% over 65. In these communities, 31% of people live in poverty, a higher percentage than both the Bronx average (25%) and the New York City average (20%). GrowNYC's farmer target audience includes all of the Northeast region, but the majority of the farmers and cooperatives from whom we source are in New York State. In Year 1 of our grant, GrowNYC sourced from a total of 53 local food producers, and 33 of them are located in New York State. Our vendors produce vegetables, fruits, grains, dried beans, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and value added items such as breads and salsas produced. In Year 1 of our grant, we sourced from 2 hydroponic growers, 3 certified organic growers, and several other farms that offer organic lines of produce. We purchased from 6 farms owned by women and 2 owned by people of color, including one graduate of GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Program, now called FARMroots. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?GrowNYC Fresh Food Box Site Coordinators received training to prepare them to successfully fulfill their roles as leaders in their local food systems. Training covered local agriculture, food distribution, food justice, customer service, bookkeeping, and promotion. GrowNYC also provided training to adult/supervisory staff at BronxWorks to share our farm stand operations best practices, youth curriculum, nutrition assistance currencies, recordkeeping resources, and seasonal produce ordering guide. Children's Aid staff are former trainees of GrowNYC in Food Box program best practices. While we did not conduct formal trainings for thesestaff, we continue to share best practices and provide technical assistance with respect to ordering, operations, and nutrition assistance program currencies. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?GrowNYC and partners promote Fresh Food Box sites and farm stands widely via flyers/posters, tabling at community events, email newsletters, websites, social media, and other means. Outreach is most heavily concentrated in the South Bronx, but partners also promote these sites Citywide and to other groups performing food access work on the State and Community level. GrowNYC also conducts targeted outreach to wholesale buyers in the South Bronx such as nonprofits, senior centers, community gardens, health centers, businesses, and others. We also meet several times per year with agencies such as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department for the Aging and nonprofit partners such as Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, who operates a program that trains institutions to cook with whole and local foods, to discuss Citywide strategies that can facilitate our work with nonprofits and institutions in the South Bronx. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?GrowNYC is reporting three minor changes to our workplan and timeline. These changes will not prohibit us from meeting our goals: Urban Health Plan was able to identify additional, temporary funding to support their staff salaries in year 1 of our grant. Therefore, they did not draw down funds as originally planned in Year 1, but will seek an increase over the original budget for Year 2. The total combined expenditure and matching funds for Urban Health Plan staff for Years 1-2will not change. GrowNYC's Fresh Food Box Program Coordinator of 6 years transitioned out of this role in July 2018. Due to a number of factors, including the extremely busy time of year and a rigorous search to identify someone who would be astrong fit for the role, the position was vacant for close to four months. GrowNYC identified existing staff to adopt Program Coordinator duties during this period, and resources were focused on maintaining the highest level of service possible at our existing network of Food Box sites throughout the City. As a result of this change, GrowNYC did not open a new Fresh Food Box site in the South Bronx at the onset of Year 2 as planned. As of this writing, however, a new Program Coordinator has been hired and is currently in training, and inquiries are out with several potential partners. Our goal is to open a new direct retail location in early 2020 that makes fresh, affordable, healthy foods available in the South Bronx community. Our original workplan called for BronxWorks to host a December-June Fresh Food Box site and a July-November youth-run farm stand. However, shortly after submitting our grant proposal to the USDA, participation at the BronxWorks Fresh Food Box site began to decrease in spite of consistent promotion by BronxWorks and GrowNYC. Over the summer and fall, community members expressed their preference for the farm stand model. Therefore, BronxWorks and GrowNYC have decided to shift strategies and related budgeted funding to support a year-round farm stand model at BronxWorks to best respond to community preference.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Under our Community Food Project grant, GrowNYC and partners Urban Health Plan, Children's Aid, and BronxWorks are working to build sustainable distribution routes for fresh, local foods in the South Bronx, a community that has some of the City's highest rates of food-related illness, but that is also home to resilient, engaged residents and the dynamic organizations that serve them. GrowNYC and partners have established innovative direct-retail programs that provide South Bronx residents with access to high-quality, affordable foods. These program sites also form the basis of distribution routes that allow GrowNYC to provide local produce distribution to other community-based wholesale food buyers. In the first year of our CFP grant, GrowNYC has increased our distribution activities in the South Bronx by 11%. Goal 1: Increase availability of local food, especially fresh produce, in South Bronx communities In Year 1 of our Community Food Project grant, GrowNYC and partners distributed more than 63,000 pounds of produce directly to consumers in the South Bronx via GrowNYC's Project H.O.P.E. Fresh Food Box site, two Children's Aid Food Box sites, and two BronxWorks farm stands. The Project H.O.P.E. Fresh Food Box distributed 17,000 pounds of food; Children's Aid distributed 6,800 pounds of food via their Food Box site at public school CS 211 and 20,000 pounds via their Bronx Family Center site; and BronxWorks distributed 9,500 pounds of produce via their seasonal farm stand at the MacLaughlin Community Center and an additional 5,100 via a new farm stand in Mott Haven. In addition to increasing healthy food access via these direct access models, GrowNYC's wholesale distribution program, Greenmarket Co., distributed an additional 160,000 pounds of produce to other wholesale buyers including businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, food pantries, and additional GrowNYC food access programs. Notable partners include UnitedWay NYC; BronxWorks' senior center and after school programs, which sourced fresh, local foods for participant meals; the Department of School Food's Garden to Café program; Lantern Community Services, whose Food for Life program is modeled after GrowNYC's Fresh Food Box Program; UnitedWay NYC; and Community Access, and organization that serves people living with mental illness. GroNYC's total distribution in our target communities in the South Bronx the year before our CFP grant was just over 200,000 pounds. In Year 1 of our grant, our total distribution grew to 224,000 pounds, growing by 12%. Goal 2: Strengthen distribution infrastructure between local farms and South Bronx communities NIFA's support for Food Box sites and farm stands operated by GrowNYC and partners not only provided direct access to healthy, affordable foods for South Bronx residents, but also sustained recurring delivery sites that act as the foundation of GrowNYC's growing wholesale distribution routes in the community. In Year 1 of our CFP grant, GrowNYC increased our total number of wholesale delivery sites from 60 to 65, and increased our number of routes per week in the South Bronx from 2 to 3. In Year 1, GrowNYC distributed more than 330 distinct local food items--including specialty produce varieties, pastured and organic eggs, honey, maple syrup, dry beans, whole grains, flour, and bread made with New York State grain--to Food Box sites, farm stands, and other wholesale buyers in the South Bronx. Goal 3: Empower and employ South Bronx residents as food access leaders in their community Over the course of Year 1 of our CFP project, 11 South Bronx residents have filled essential roles in ensuring the success of our Food Box and farm stand programs. GrowNYC's Fresh Food Box Site Coordinators (2) and the Children's Aid Food Box team (5 South Bronx residents, 1.7 FTE) curate produce shares for their Food Box site, choosing items based on community preference; create newsletters that describe how to use produce included in each share; oversee distribution and take orders for future weeks; conduct cooking demonstrations and distribute produce samples; and conduct outreach in the community by distributing flyers and attending meetings and events. Urban Health Plan's Food Box liaison supports the GrowNYC Site Coordinator during distribution and promotes the program to patients, constituents, and other community members. At BronxWorks, we transitioned seasonally from a Fresh Food Box model to a youth-run farm stands, giving 3 young people from BronxWorks' teen programs the opportunity to provide their community with access to fresh, healthy foods. In the spring of 2019, these young people received training in market operations, nutrition assistance currencies, and small business skills, and put this training to use operating two farm stands through the remainder of the grant year. The GrowNYC Site Coordinators who have been so instrumental to the success of our Food Box sites this year are particularly emblematic of our commitment to hire from the communities where we operate: our Site Coordinator for the BronxWorks site was a former participant of GrowNYC's Learn It, Grow It, Eat It program, an intensive internship program that allows South Bronx high school students to manage a community garden, operate a farm stand, and conduct environmental and nutrition education in the neighborhoods where they live. Our Site Coordinator at the Project H.O.P.E. Fresh Food Box from October 2018-May 2019 was introduced to the opportunity because she was a participant at the BronxWorks Fresh Food Box. When the BronxWorks Fresh Food Box transitioned out for the season, our Project H.O.P.E. Site Coordinator happened to also be beginning grad school. We were able to place her at a weekend Fresh Food Box site in another community, and transition our former BronxWorks Site Coordinator to take her place at Project H.O.P.E., maintaining the presence of a South Bronx resident and native Spanish speaker at this site. Goal 4: Increase revenues for local farmers by providing marketing and distribution services in underserved markets Just as GrowNYC's wholesale distribution programs make fresh, healthy foods available in communities who would otherwise lack access to these products, we also provide farmers with a connection to a marketplace that they would otherwise be unable to reach. By addressing the pooling the demand of wholesale buyers throughout the City and providing aggregation space and distribution infrastructure, GrowNYC allows farmers to gain access to dispersed, underserved markets while making efficient deliveries to a single location. In Year 1 of our grant, farmer income for products GrowNYC distributed in the South Bronx rose to $175,000, up from $156,000 the year before the grant. In addition to this overall increase of 12%, GrowNYC also increased the average income per farmer from $2,800 to $3,400.
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