GrowNYC, whose environmentally-focused community-service programs engage 3 million New Yorkers annually, has reconfigured its Greenmarket program to respond more swiftly to people in need. A network of open-air markets, farm stands, and fresh food box pickups, Greenmarket was established to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to healthy, locally produced food.

Some 250 regional farmers and producers sell through the Greenmarket network, which is an essential source of food for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. Deemed essential businesses in the pandemic, these 80-plus food-access sites have remained open and safe for shoppers, producers, and staff. ​Meanwhile, GrowNYC is working with community partners to deliver free fresh food boxes to people who are undocumented, unemployed, or living in high-need neighborhoods. SNAP/EBT is accepted at all GrowNYC Greenmarkets, farm stands, and fresh food box locations.

Additionally, GrowNYC has expanded its distance-learning resources, to better support educators and the general public as learning spaces move remote. To foster future environmental stewards, GrowNYC serves 70,000 children a year with programs that provide them meaningful interactions with the natural environment.

GrowNYC’s food scrap and clothing drop-off sites are temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

For more information about the Greenmarket program or GrowNYC, visit GrowNYC.org.