Growing a Sustainable Food System in the Bronx

In the midst of growing national and international discussions about the intersection of food, health, and the environment, and just days before the People’s Climate March, the Bronx Health REACH quarterly coalition meeting on September 19^th featured a dynamic panel discussion on local agriculture and sustainable farming. The group of panelists included representatives from community gardening organizations and local agriculture initiatives, such as La Finca del Sur, NY Sun Works, Corbin Hill Food Project, South Bronx Farmers Markets, The Partnership for a Healthier Manhattan at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the Office of Council Member Ritchie Torres. Although the Bronx has been consistently ranked 62 out of 62 counties in New York State, this panel demonstrated that there are many innovative projects underway that should be recognized, replicated, and expanded.

The panel was moderated by Tanya Fields—the renowned food activist and founder of the BLK Projek, which uses food to create economic development opportunities in the South Bronx. Fields’ work to promote locally farmed and accessible food within her community has included the Hunt’s Point Farm Share, the Libertad Urban Farm Project, the Veggie Mobile Market, and many other programs. Fields strives not only to support and expand local farming opportunities, but to use healthy food and sustainable gardening as a tool to empower women and youth in marginalized communities. Similarly, La Finca del Sur focuses on economic development and food justice through urban farming, led primarily by Latina and Black women. In addition to their community garden site, produce from La Finca del Sur is sold at the South Bronx Farmers Market, where customers can use SNAP/EBT as well as HealthBucks. Sindri McDonald, Council Member Ritchie Torres’Chief of Staff, spoke about Council Member Torres’ efforts to expand the distribution and use of HealthBucks within his district to make local fruits and vegetables more accessible to his constituents. Council Member Torres allocated $10,000 in discretionary funding for HealthBucks. A historic first. No council member before him  had ever  allocated funding for this program. We hope that this represents a trend where more Council Members will see this as an important enough initiative to secure funding for it.. Finally, the Corbin Hill Food Project provides an alternative to the farmers’ market model with their local farm share program. Local, sustainably grown produce is available at 20 delivery sites throughout Washington Heights, the Bronx, and Harlem, with reduced-price shares for those using SNAP and flexible payment options. This option is convenient for local residents who want fresh, healthy produce but either can’t or don’t want to shop at farmer’s markets. It’s important to develop more programs that not only make fresh, high quality food financially accessible in lower-income communities, but physically convenient and attractive for customers as well. Picking up a package of fruits and vegetables for the week from a local delivery site is appealing for many community residents, so much so that there is even a long waiting list of people who would like to become members.

Irrespective of the approach, all the panelists recognized the symbiotic relationship between the wellbeing of those who consume their products and the wellbeing of the earth. Not only is conventional, industrial agriculture environmentally damaging, but it does little to support local farmers or to empower consumers to play an active role in their food system. The fact that so many organizations and individuals in the Bronx recognize this connection and are mobilizing their community members to get involved in local, sustainable agriculture initiatives is what made this panel particularly inspiring. Since the panelists were representing largely grassroots organizations in the Bronx, there is clearly already some investment among community members in building  a healthy, local food environment from within. With buy-in from local residents and support from their legislative officials, it is likely that this food movement will lead to sustainable change.

Another theme of the event was the focus on changing habits within the younger generation to foster healthier lifestyles among children and youth. As Tanya Fields noted, “It’s easier to create whole children than to fix broken men.” The efforts of NY Sun Works to bring hydroponics and agricultural education to school classrooms, and the kids’ activities and workshops hosted by La Finca del Sur are just a few examples of local healthy food initiatives involving youth. Innovative projects, which include hydroponic plantings and rooftop gardens, represent  critical tools for advancing local food production in districts that lack readily available resources.

Overall, the sustained success of these important local farming programs will depend partially on funding opportunities, but also on the collaboration between local partners in the Bronx and their ability to cooperatively pool resources to serve their community. Last week, the USDA released some encouraging news on that front: $52 million of funding will go towards supporting local and regional food systems and organic farming. Importantly, the USDA will also put $30 million into marketing for farmers markets and promoting locally grown produce. This new funding is an important step towards building a stronger support system for local producers and consumers alike. Hopefully this is just the beginning of increasing government efforts to strengthen local agriculture networks in the Bronx and across the country. To read about the USDA announcement, please click here.  

 

 

Rachel Manning is a Community HealthCorps member with Bronx Health REACH. 

Council Member Ritchie Torres Pioneers Use of Discretionary Funding for HealthBucks

This week, Council Member Torres announced funding for an innovative program to promote healthier choices for Bronx residents. HealthBucks is a program facilitated by the Department of Health, where coupons offering $2 toward fruits and vegetables from farmer's markets are distributed through local organizations to residents. Council Member Torres has allocated $10,000 towards HealthBucks for his District and is the first member of the City Council to fund this program.

Bronx Health REACH came together with the New York League of Conservation Voters and the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center last year to tackle a local sustainability challenge. Community members identified a need for more access to fresh, affordable food, and signed over 1700 postcards requesting that Council Member Torres designate funds from the City Council budget for HealthBucks, Council Member Torres responded.

“The neighborhoods I represent in the Bronx face serious health issues. Seniors with diabetes have a death rate more than double that of New York City. The childhood obesity rate is the highest in New York City. Two-thirds of residents are overweight or obese,” said Council Member Torres. “I am proud to announce an unprecedented investment of $10,000 in the HealthBucks program, which increases access to fruits and vegetables for residents, particularly for low-income residents. The HealthBucks program is a momentous step in addressing public health concerns in my district and citywide”.

Karen Washington, a member of the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center, spoke about the importance of Health Bucks in supporting fresh, affordable food that community members can buy from local farmers. “Fresh food should be a human right, not a privilege for some,” said Karen, who also happens to be a recipient of this year’s James Beard Leadership Award, which recognizes visionaries in the world of food politics and sustainable agriculture.

“Health Bucks will make a real difference in this community by connecting the dots between healthy food, healthy New Yorkers and a healthy environment,” said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “Thank you, Council Member Torres, for making today’s victory possible. And thank you to the thousands of Bronx residents who stood up and made their voices heard. Together, we are building a more just, equitable and sustainable city.”

“We applaud Council Member Torres for his support of our Health Bucks program and hope that other members of the Council will follow his lead,” said First Deputy Commissioner of Health Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “Increasing access to fruits and vegetables by making them easier to afford is one way we can help give New Yorkers healthier options, particularly in the Bronx which has high rates of obesity.” 

“Council Member Torres’ unprecedented securing of $10,000 from the City’s 2015 budget for HealthBucks in District 15 represents a significant win for the many residents who indicated that being able to afford to buy fresh produce in their neighborhood farmers markets was very important to them.  With the Bronx having some of the highest rates of diet-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes in New York State, these HealthBucks will go a long way to making fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable for Bronx residents,” said Charmaine Ruddock, Project Director for Bronx Health REACH.                  

“We know that individuals that shop at farmers markets have a greater intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Health Bucks play a critical role to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, healthiest food available, as well as provide crucial income to regional farmers. Last year almost $1 million dollars was spent in SNAP at our Greenmarkets, thanks in part to the $2 Health Buck incentive. We are very thankful to Council Member Torres for earmarking this money for an important win-win program that has value not only in promoting the health of participants but also the preservation of our local farming community,” said Michael Hurwitz, Greenmarket Director for GrowNYC.

“In working with our patients at Union Community Health Center, the hardest part is changing behaviors. Resources like Health Bucks are an innovative way for us as providers to get patients to try new fruits and vegetables that they never would have considered. Further, Health Bucks provide an opportunity for communities to not only support our local economy, but also help level the playing field with those big businesses which promote processed foods,” said Doctor Nelson Eng, Chief Medical Officer at Union Community Health Center.

Data from 2009 shows 17.2% of New York City residents in low-income neighborhoods reported eating no fruits and vegetables on the preceding day, compared with 8.0% of residents in high-income neighborhoods (CDC). Farmers markets, which are located in several locations in the Central Bronx, provide a promising venue to decrease this disparity.

Health Bucks is an added incentive to SNAP recipients. For every $5 in EBT purchases, qualifying consumers receive an additional $2 in HealthBucks. Data from the CDC shows that the Health Bucks program leads SNAP recipients to shop at farmer’s markets with more frequency, due to the incentive the program offers.

Here is some press coverage of the HealthBucks announcement:

http://bronx.news12.com/news/health-bucks-program-helps-save-money-at-farmers-markets-1.8918466

http://thebronxchronicle.com/council-member-ritchie-torres-pioneers-use-discretionary-funding-toward-health-bucks/ 

Bronx Faith-Based Leaders Provide Inspiration for Healthy Living

June was Men’s Health Month. When I think about my own health and other men in their early 20s, I think about how I gained 30 pounds in college. It’s not completely abnormal for college students to gain weight – lots of my friends gained the “freshman 15” – but 30 pounds is a whole different story. When I started my position at Bronx Health REACH in 2011 as a Community HealthCorps member, I had a plan to lose the weight and start eating healthier, but the sudden change in my schedule from being in school to having a full time job made it tough to change my eating habits. For me to take on the herculean task of losing 30 pounds I needed greater inspiration. Fortunately, I found it in our faith-based leaders at Bronx Health REACH.

As the Coordinator of Bronx Health REACH’s Faith Based Outreach Initiative (FBOI) and Health Disparities Workgroup (HDWG), I work with faith leaders to implement health programs at their churches and identify solutions to racial and ethnic health disparities in New York City (NYC). In these initiatives, there is so much energy and passion among our partners around improving the health and well being of Bronx citizens. I’ve seen churches host weekly diabetes workshops for congregates with diabetes. I participated in discussions with youth ministries about violence and alcohol in their communities.  I facilitated partnerships with a variety of health organizations in NYC and churches looking to implement health programming.  

Over the last few years, the Bronx has consistently been ranked 62 out of 62 in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s annual county health rankings report for New York State.  It would be easy for our faith-based leaders to throw up their hands and give up, but they never do.  Seeing our faith-based leaders continue to plan, participate, and support health initiatives in the Bronx, despite publication after publication deriding the health status of their communities, inspired me to work on my own health. 

In 2011, I set myself on a 1750 calorie diet and started to track the amount of calories I consumed every day on a smart phone app called MyFitnessPal (free). Also, I replaced all sugar sweetened beverages with water and ate salad, fruit, and yogurt for lunch every day and began tracking these healthy habits on the smart phone app Lift (free). Finally, I worked out 4 to 5 days a week, running over 100 miles in 2012. As a result of all of these activities, I lost 30 pounds when I finished my first tenure as a Community Healthcorps Member in September of 2012.  

Below are some other helpful tips on losing weight and eating healthy. Make sure to consult your physician before trying them to ensure that these activities are right for you.

1) Find out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) TDEE represents the amount of  calories you need to eat to sustain your weight. If your daily caloric intake is higher than TDEE, you will gain weight. If your daily caloric value is lower than TDEE, you will lose weight. Generally speaking, those trying to lose weight are suggested to eat 200 calories less than TDEE. Healthy weight loss should be 1-2 lbs/week. 

2)  Count your calories! To assess whether you’re consistently eating lower than your  TDEE, count the amount of calories that you consume each day. Myfitnesspal is one of many calorie counting apps. It’s available on iTunes or Google Play.  Try to save “meals” you frequently eat so you don’t have to log each food item over and over. Additionally, to help you count calories, I recommend purchasing a portable food scale. Weighing your food is the best way to get an accurate calorie count based on portion. 

3) Exercise and log the calories you burn in your calorie counting app! This will help you realize how exercise and diet work together to help you lose weight! 

4) Cut out all sugar sweetened beverages and replace them with water. Water has 0 calories! This is the first place you can look to reduce your daily caloric intake.

5) Eat vegetables everyday! Vegetables are low calorie and great for your health! Avoid excessive salad dressing too.  

Thanks again to all of our faith-based leaders at Bronx Health REACH who have inspired me to be healthy!  

This blogpost was written by Hardeep Singh, a HealthCorps Member at Bronx Health REACH. 

South Bronx Farmers Market Debuts in Mott Haven, South Bronx Providing Fresh Food Access for Residents

Farm-fresh, affordable food is now available in South Bronx at the new South Bronx Farmers Market (SBFM) that launched Saturday, June 14. The market runs for 23 consecutive weeks on Saturdays until November 22^ndand operates from 10 am – 4 pm, rain or shine. The market is located on 138^thStreet between Willis and Alexander Avenues in the South Bronx.

In support of residents on food subsidies, food stamp recipients can now use their SNAP/EBT card at the market to purchase food-stamp authorized fruits, vegetables, farm fresh eggs, local honey and baked breads. Some vendors also accept WIC checks so families can add locally-grown produce to their pantries.

In addition to farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, market shoppers can attend daily on-site cooking demonstrations offered by both Just Food and Stellar Markets each market day. Shoppers can learn how to cook available foods with simple and nutritious recipes provided by community chefs speaking in English & Spanish.

“This is a positive, win-win situation for everyone involved in the South Bronx Farmers Market –both the vendors and the food stamp customers. Now our residents will have access to the freshest, healthiest produce and products that New York State has to offer!” says Lily Kesselman, Director of SBFM. The market is located in the poorest congressional district in the United States and almost 50% of children in this area live below the poverty line. Services for subsidized food-program recipients is vital in this community.

Farmers include La Finca del Sur, a local community garden located just blocks away from the market on 138^th Street & Grand Concourse. Other farmers include MimoMex Farm of Goshen, New York who grows staples for Mexican cooking including seasonal peppers, cilantro, tomatillos and tomatoes; Sweet Freedom Farm of Germantown, NY will offer a variety of vegetables using no-till, organic and permaculture techniques; Wassaic Community Farm of Wassaic, NY will participate and is one of the only New York farmers offering a variety of medicinal teas and herbs as well as locally-grown vegetables. Trinity Farms of Clintondale, NY offers fresh fruits, vegetables and farm-fresh organically-fed free-range eggs. The market will also offer affordable, artisanal breads from local baker Zaro’s and local honey.

The market is a 100% community-led project planned and run by volunteers and empowered by strong community partnerships that have all helped to bring the project to fruition: Youth Advocates Program is offering two local youth paid jobs at the market each week; both Stellar Markets and Just Food are providing stipends for community chefs; The NYC Department of Mental Health & Hygiene is providing $2 Health Bucks for every EBT/SNAP purchase of $5 which gives these shoppers an additional 40% of product for their dollar (from July – September only); and Citizens Committee for New York City provided the funding with a Neighborhood Grant.

Opening day local celebrity, creator and star of Bronx Flavor & The Cooking Channels’s “The Culiniary Advendurs of Baron Ambrosia”, Baron Ambrosia attended the event as did NYC City Council Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito.

The market is easily accessible by train and located just outside the MTA 6 Train 138^thStreet/Third Avenue station or the 4/5 trains at the Grand Concourse/138^thStreet Stop.

All market information is available at online in both English and limited information in Spanish http://www.southbronxfarmersmarket.com

For more information about South Bronx Farmers Market, Inc, contact southbronxfarmersmarket@gmail.com or (516) 418.6355. Visit the market on Twitter at @SBxFarmMarket

Lucero Elementary School Shines in School Wellness

Located in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx, Lucero Elementary School is a brand new K-2 school that opened its doors in 2013.  Since opening its doors in September, Lucero has recognized the unacceptably high rates of childhood obesity and the burden of chronic disease on families that already exist in the South Bronx.  Lucero Elementary School has taken significant steps to implement, communicate, and enforce a healthy snack policy, with the help of their very first school wellness committee. The Wellness committee, which is comprised of teachers, parents, and community partners, created and implemented an innovative sticker program to help students make healthier snack choices, as well as educate parents. 

The Lucero school wellness council developed a sticker that is placed on unhealthy snacks to remind students and parents to make better snack choices.  All Lucero students and staff have been constantly monitoring each other.  Students are checking nutrition labels to determine whether or not a snack is unhealthy, and are rewarded each Friday during the school’s community circle meeting for all of their hard work.  Students are presented with certificates for choosing healthier options in the cafeteria, helping monitor class snacks, and reading and analyzing nutrition labels.   The unhealthy snack sticker is a very powerful tool that sends a clear message to students and parents. 

Not only are Lucero students promoting and learning about healthier snack options, but they are also receiving the state mandated 120 minutes per week of physical education -- which is an excellent accomplishment.  Lucero Elementary School is also incorporating wellness into the classroom, through 20 minutes per day of Activity Works physical activity breaks. All students also attend weekly CookShop classes, where they learn about and enjoy sampling new vegetables, which they then recognize and select from the cafeteria salad bar.  Parents also have the opportunity to attend CookShop for families so that they are being educated about a variety of fruits and vegetables along with their children. In addition, the school promotes Zumba classes, which are held at the local community center, where parents have the opportunity to stay active each week.

Bronx Health REACH provides the school with support for their nutrition and fitness programs and policies through the Healthy Schools NY program, funded through the New York State Department of Health.  Healthy Schools NY aims to increase the number of schools that implement programs and policies that promote the consumption of healthy foods and beverages, fitness, and compliance with state physical education regulations.

Fitness & Activity Night, held on May 1^st, was the culmination of the Lucero community’s efforts and was a celebration of the healthy school year for Lucero students and families, and community members. Fitness & Activity Night featured fitness stations and a sampling of fresh and healthy dishes from New Settlement Apartments and the Department of Education’s Office of SchoolFood.  Funding for the event was made possible in part through a School Wellness Council grant from the New York City Department of Education.  The event accommodated over three hundred people, and was truly a success for Lucero Elementary School. 

Congratulations to Lucero Elementary School on receiving Gold Recognition in the Excellence in School Wellness Award program during the school’s first year! Thanks to Cristina Muia, Physical Education teacher and wellness coordinator at Lucero Elementary School, and Taisy Conk, Community Healthy Food Advocate from New Settlement Apartments, for their contributions to this article.