Feeding a City

Access to fresh, healthy food is a right for all. And right now, there are neighbors, volunteers, community groups, and local organizations mobilizing to run farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), Food Pantries, and Food Box programs to make farm fresh, healthy food accessible to communities across New York City.

These local food projects are improving the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers while supporting our urban and regional farmers. Some partner with local food pantries to increase food access to those most in need. Many are fighting for equitable access to healthy food by seeking to bring fresh, local food to low-income areas and communities of color.

Using this tool, you can find farmers’ markets, CSAs, food box programs, and fresh pantries near you!

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Farmers’ Markets

Farmers’ markets are diverse and may be run by a large, centrally-managed network or by a single community organization, garden group, or impassioned neighbors running their own community-run market. Most markets operate seasonally, though some are open year round.

CSAs

CSAs are partnerships between a farm and a community that allow neighbors to invest in the farm at the beginning of the growing season when farms need support the most, in exchange for weekly distribution of the farms’ produce from June to November. Some CSAs even offer winter shares. CSAs are created by neighbors coming together to form a ‘core group’ that organizes neighbor sign-ups and coordinate with the farm. Some CSAs have SNAP access, and most CSAs have subsidized shares, where higher income households pay more and lower income households pay less.

Food Boxes

Food Box programs aggregate produce from participating farms and enable under-served communities to purchase a box of fresh, healthy, primarily regionally-grown produce. Through the power of collaborative purchasing, Food Box customers sign-up for a fresh food box a week in advance and for a set price that is well below traditional retail prices. Many Food Box sites accept SNAP and Health Bucks.

Fresh Pantries

The food pantries shown here are part of GrowNYC’s Fresh Pantry Project. These pantries accept donations of fresh local produce from New York area growers. They make healthy food available to anyone in need.

*Information for some locations have changed for this upcoming season.
Changes to the map will be made as data sourced from and maintained by DOHMH on the Open Data Portal is updated.

New Yorkers have access to several different resources that make buying fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a federally-funded program that helps low-income New Yorkers stretch their food budgets and buy healthy food. SNAP benefits can be used at participating farmers’ markets, CSAs and food box programs throughout the City.

Health Bucks are coupons you can use to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. You can get them by using your SNAP benefits at a market or through community organizations. For every $5 spent at a farmers’ market using SNAP, shoppers receive $2 in Health Bucks.

Pharmacy to Farm Prescriptions program gives SNAP participants with high blood pressure $30 in Health Bucks each month to buy fruits and vegetables from NYC farmers markets.

FMNP (Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program) benefits are available to WIC (Women, Infants and Children) recipients and low-income seniors to buy farm-fresh produce at farmers’ markets. Coupons are distributed every June or July through November at WIC and senior centers. The current coupon amount per market season is typically $24 for WIC FMNP and $20 for Senior FMNP.

Please explore the sites on the map above for more information on whether these and other programs are available.

There are many organizations throughout the city dedicated to providing access to fresh healthy food to New Yorkers. Here’s a list of non profits you can look to for more information.

• Farmers’ Markets
  If you would like to bring a farmers’ market to your community, contact GrowNYC, Harvest Home, or Down to Earth. If you are interested in starting your own community-run market, contact Just Food for more about their market training program.
• CSAs
  If you’d like to start a CSA in your neighborhood contact Just Food for training and access to their CSA farmers’ network.
• Food Boxes
  Don’t have a Food Box program in your community? Contact GrowNYC or Corbin Hill Food Project.

• Just Food
• Harvest Home
• GrowNYC
• GrowNYC’s Nutrition Programs
• Down to Earth
• Local Roots
• Brooklyn Supported Agriculture
• Mayors Office of Food Policy
• Fresh Food for Seniors
• Corbin Hill Food Project