City Harvest
Program: Healthy Food & Community Change
Area of Work: Health
Grant Purpose: Healthy Neighborhoods
Overview
City Harvest is New York City’s largest food rescue organization, helping to feed the nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. The organization rescues food from wholesalers, distributors, farmers and restaurants, and delivers it, free of charge, to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community partners across the five boroughs. Their programs empower individuals through nutrition education, increase their partners’ capacity, and strengthen the local food system, helping New Yorkers who are experiencing food insecurity to access, afford, and consume nutritious food.
Grant
Purpose: To support Healthy Neighborhoods
The Illumination Fund provided core support for targeted expansion of the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative, including a doubling of the number of programs such as Mobile Markets, healthy retail partnerships and cooking demonstrations and classes.
Impact
To date, there are nine Mobile Markets across New York City. Evaluations show that the Mobile Markets relieve food insecurity, the nutrition education programs positively influence food choices, the retail partnerships are translating into increased produce sales, and community members are engaging in the fight for healthy food access.
Banner photo by Ben Hider.