City Harvest Programs » Emergency Food Programs

HarvestWorks

The Problem

The city’s hunger relief agencies cite fresh fruits and vegetables as most in demand, but a lack of resources and limited access to suppliers, distributors, and farmers prevents them from securing the produce they desperately need. In addition, a 2008 Department of City Planning Report found that three million New Yorkers live in neighborhoods with high need for grocery stores and supermarkets where residents can purchase fresh produce, including low-income areas with high rates of diet-related diseases, like the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn.

Every year large quantities of farm products go unharvested and unconsumed because low prices and uncertain market demand cannot justify the cost and risk of harvesting, packing, marketing, distribution, and storage for the farmer. While these products are in high demand at hunger relief agencies throughout New York City, most never make it to this important market.

City Harvest’s Response

HarvestWorks increases the availability of fresh produce in low-income neighborhoods in New York City and provides regional farmers with incentives to harvest and access to new markets. By rescuing this food, HarvestWorks introduces a sustainable source of healthy food into high-need areas, expands the market for regional produce, and offers farmers economic support. Sourcing this food locally helps City Harvest minimize our transportation costs, conserving environmental and financial resources.

• Over the past four years, City Harvest has distributed nearly 2.6 million pounds of New York State and other regional produce to low-income New Yorkers.

• We work to build partnerships with farmers to ensure a steady supply of fresh, locally grown produce that most likely would not otherwise get into the hands of hungry New York City residents.

In addition to helping secure more fresh produce from regional farms for distribution at emergency food programs, HarvestWorks supports City Harvest’s strategic initiatives to address longer-term issues that surround hunger, such as Healthy Neighborhoods, Mobile Markets, Nutrition Education, and Fruit Bowl.