It’s hard to comprehend how things could feel so normal in some parts of the city while just miles away our neighbors are hungry, cold, and generally not okay. We are relieved to say that upstate farms that bore the brunt of Irene last year fared well in Sandy from a damage perspective. However, the cruelty of the storm is such that many of those farms rely on downstate markets to sell their produce. Farmers markets and restaurants are reopening, but there is still a bunch of food on farms that a bunch of people in this city could use.

So, when one of our friends from the Brooklyn restaurant scene decided to get hot meals to hungry people, we told her we’d mobilize. Let us know if you can help. 

If you are a farmer with excess produce, please get in touch.

If you are in New York City and want to volunteer your time, your vehicle, or your cooking skills, please let us know here.

If you or anyone you know needs food, please let us know here.

Conversations on the Farm: Connectedness among Roasters and Suppliers

Colleen Bramhall, the coffee community outreach manager at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, discusses how Green Mountain builds capacity into coffee communities. She works directly with NGOs and cooperatives to create programs and projects that offer better food security to farms that they source from. The initiatives supported by Green Mountain Roasters also act as a model to other companies to be more thoughtful of the farmers during the period after harvest.