BronxWorks, the community nonprofit, launched its eighth season of offering Bronx residents fresh, local produce Thursday with its first farm stand of the year at its headquarters on the Grand Concourse.
Despite early morning showers, the cooler midmorning weather drew dozens of people to the stand, where they picked up bundles of carrots, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, scallions, lettuce, honey, and preserves. BronxWorks Associate Vice President of Community Health Programs, Rachel Gill told the Bronx Times that helping Bronxites access fresh food is a key focus for BronxWorks.
“ We’re so excited to be here—it’s an important resource for the community,” Gill said. “We provide fresh and local regional produce at affordable prices so that the community can make healthy recipes that can help them with chronic disease.”
Every Thursday through November from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the social services organization will bring whole, nutritious food along with healthy cooking demos to its community center at 1130 Grand Concourse.
Gill said shoppers who have benefits like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) can spend their aid at the food stand and get extra benefits. For every $1 with SNAP spent, Bronxites will get a $10 Bronx Bucks coupon to spend at the farm stand.
“Here magically a dollar turns into $10,” Gill said.
For the inaugural farm stand of the season, the healthy recipe focused on hydration.
Kalafa Mccalafa, who has worked with BronxWorks for two years, was giving demonstrations on how to infuse water with fresh apples and cherries. But first, Mccalafa told the Bronx Times she educates shoppers about added sugars in beverages.
“ Participants will understand why sugary drinks are a problem and they will be able to name two types of healthy beverages,” Mccalafa said. “So basically, we’re asking them what some of the healthy beverages are that they enjoy, then we’ll listen to what they have to say; then we get into what beverages that are not healthy, such as sodas and sports drinks.”
She said that teaching people about sugary drinks is important because of its connection to diabetes, which impacts over 12% of the population in Bronx County, according to the Center for Disease Control’s diabetes surveillance system. In April, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson called on the city to declare a diabetes health emergency and implement a prevention program in the Bronx.
Meosha Livingston stopped by the farm stand and tried some of the fruit infused water to cool off in the summer heat.
“It was nice and refreshing and a new way to make juice,” Livingston said to the Bronx Times.
She was glad that the farm stand was offering nutritious options in the neighborhood.
“It’s good for them to have healthy foods and show the community how to stay healthy,” she said.
Raymond Schwavacher, who is in charge of ordering produce for the BronxWorks farm stand, said that the organization tries to be responsive to what produce the community wants to cook with. Each week he purchases hundreds of pounds of produce, eggs and local honey to sell at cost to Bronx shoppers looking for nutritious options for their pantries.
Schwavacher said that once— he purchased a batch of locally produced honey “on a whim” and now it’s consistently one of the most popular things at the farm stand.
“It’s one of our buzziest items,” he said.
Shoppers that miss the Thursday BronxWorks farm stand can catch the local nonprofit at their Mott Haven farm stand which will also run through November at Padre Plaza Garden, E 139th St on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
