The New York City Coalition Against Hunger

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) Legacy Project initiated a new community supported agriculture (CSA) program, The South Bronx Farm Fresh Initiative. Working with local community members, NYCCAH conducted outreach to identify and establish relationships with the distribution site and farmer, recruit members, and set-up the distribution schedule. Working with Fresh Radish Farm in Goshen, NY, the South Bronx CSA accommodated 50 CSA shares for the 2011 growing season. 91% of members qualify for low-income shares and 78% of members pay for weekly share with EBT. If regular shareholders are unable to pick up their produce, weekly shares are offered to families on a waiting list. The farmer, a native of Mexico, offers a large variety of produce including Mexican specialty items, popular among shareholders. In addition to their weekly produce, shareholders receive bilingual newsletters with recipes and health information, and have opportunities to participate in cooking demonstrations.

NYCCAH represents and is the voice for the more than 1,200 nonprofit soup kitchens and food pantries in New York City and the more than 1.4 million low-income New Yorkers who live in households that can’t afford enough food. The coalition works not only to meet these residents’ immediate food needs but also to enact innovative solutions to help society move “beyond the soup kitchen” to ensure economic and food self-sufficiency for all Americans.