City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) has made it easier than ever before to find fresh, healthy food in the City with the release of his new interactive map.
The map highlights 307 locations throughout the City that offer fresh, healthy, affordable food, ranging from farmer’s markets to fresh pantries to food banks. Clicking on a location will display its address, hours of operation and the benefits accepted there, if any.
Johnson said that the map is designed to both highlight and assist the work of organizations like GrowNYC, Just Food and Harvest Home – organizations with the shared mission of making clean, healthy food accessible and affordable for low-income New Yorkers.
“Access to fresh, healthy food should be a human right for everyone living in New York City,” said Johnson. “Many New Yorkers don’t know where to find fresh food options even if they are nearby, but the good news is that there are several community-based programs that make fresh food affordable.”
GrowNYC President Marcel Van Ooyen was incredibly pleased with the map, claiming that it will prove to be invaluable to the demographic serviced by his organization.
“Knowing where to find affordable, high-quality food is key to the health and happiness of all New Yorkers,” said Van Ooyen. “The New York City Council’s Farm-to-City Food Map is an empowering tool that will help people throughout the City eat fresh, healthy, and local… This online tool will make it easier for New Yorkers to take full advantage of resources such as Greenmarket, Youthmarket, and Fresh Food Box that support regional farm economies, provide access to delicious and healthy foods, and fully utilize nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP and FMNP.”
Just Food Executive Director Qiana Mickie was just as elated, thanking the Council Speaker for helping her organization increase its visibility.
“Just Food is delighted to increase the visibility of community-led Farmers Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) throughout the 5 boroughs in the New York City Council’s Farm-to-City Food map,” said Mickie. “Many of these partners have been increasing healthy food access in their own neighborhoods by connecting New York City residents and small scale farmers for decades. The New York City Council’s Farm-to-City map will complement Just Food’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the solidarity economy within our region and ensuring all community members and businesses have the information and ability to eat, grow, and sell fresh food.”
The map is available here, at the Council Speaker’s official website.
