#GivingTuesday is back and we're proud to be a part of it for the second year in a row.
Coming after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday acknowledges that we don't just take, take, take. We give back too! This year, on Tuesday, December 2nd, be a part of this growing global movement by taking action in a way that is meaningful to you. #GivingTuesday is about doing what you can to give back. It's about showing that all of us can do so much more with our wallets than just consume.
This year we have an extra special treat: the first $5,000 that we raise on #GivingTuesday will be matched dollar-for-dollar!
The #GivingTuesday campaign is a platform for you to contribute to your community and to help make this the biggest giving season yet. Your donation to GrowNYC helps give schools the tools they need to get learning outside, brings NYC's youngest to experience the outdoors through field trips to different urban farms, offers community leaders the tools they need to keep growing, helps New Yorkers recycle smarter, and supports new farmers and Greenmarket producers.
All of us here at GrowNYC know that you care about making a difference, and that's why we invite you to join #GivingTuesday. Donate, spread the word, volunteer for groups you care about (we hope that includes GrowNYC!) and encourage your friends to to give in lieu of gifts or just because.
Mark your calendar for December 2 and take action in ways that mean something to you.
Together, #letsgrownyc!
To learn more go to www.givingtuesday.org
Be sure to follow us on twitter @GrowNYC and use #letsgrownyc. We'll be sure to retweet you!
Here are some sample tweets to get you started on spreading the word:
Be a part of a new worldwide tradition of giving. On #GivingTuesday, #letsgrownyc.
Black Friday. Cyber Monday. What about #GivingTuesday? Together, #letsgrownyc!
Remember, it's not how you give or what you give, it's THAT you give. For the second year, #letsgrownyc on #GivingTuesday!
A statement by Marcel Van Ooyen Executive Director, GrowNYC
I want to personally congratulate Carson Daly of the Today Show for supporting our efforts to build a garden in every New York City School. Since its launch in February 2011, Grow to Learn NYC has been working to connect NYC public and charter schools with the funding, training and materials needed for their students to dig in, connect to nature and build more positive attitudes towards healthy foods.
As a result of our partnerships with city agencies, funders and fellow non-profits, 436 schools have registered garden projects with Grow to Learn, giving them access to the garden mini-grants, training, material giveaways as well as opportunities and resources offered by greening and wellness partner organizations--with a focus on supporting schools in underserved communities like the South Bronx, Central and East Harlem and Central Brooklyn.
To date, Grow to Learn has distributed $517,000 in 331 garden mini-grants to schools. And one hundred percent of funds raised for mini-grants go directly to the schools to allow them to purchase what they need from local retailers so their learning garden programs can bloom.
We are deeply grateful to Mr. Daly and the Today Show for highlighting the need to expand gardens to all schools and look forward to seeing more school gardens bloom around the city.
We’ve all heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but what about #GivingTuesday?
This year on Tuesday, December 3, GrowNYC is joining a national movement to celebrate and encourage giving: a day when charities, families, students, businesses, community centers, and others come together for #GivingTuesday - a day dedicated to celebrate giving and encourage more, smarter giving during the Holiday Season. Mark your calendar. #GivingTuesday 2013 is Tuesday, December 3rd.
#GivingTuesday is about doing what you can to give back. It’s about showing that all of us can do so much more with our wallets than just consume. Last year #GivingTuesday included more than 100,000 individuals participating in ways that matter to them.
All of us here at GrowNYC know that you care about making a difference, and that's why we invite you to join #GivingTuesday. Donate, spread the word, volunteer for groups you care about (we hope that includes GrowNYC!) and encourage your friends to give in lieu of gifts or just because.
So mark your calendar and on December 3rd take action in ways that means something to you.
GrowNYC is proud to announce the launch of GrowNYC Partners, a professional consulting service for food, farming, gardening, and recycling projects.
GrowNYC Partners will help businesses, foundations, and government agencies transform and empower their consumers and communities, spearheading sustainability througout New York City's private sector and beyond. And as a non-profit with 40 years of success, we are dedicated to providing simple, cost-effective solutions.
Whether you are interested in building a rooftop farm, a courtyard garden, or a citywide food systems strategy, GrowNYC Partners can help.
GrowNYC and Brooklyn Brewery are excited to announce the launch of Greenmarket Wheat, a beer collaboration between local farmers, malters, and brewers that captures the flavor of regional agriculture in a bottle.
Greenmarket Wheat is a wheat beer made with raw wheat from North Country Farm in Watertown, NY, Pilsner Barley Malt from Valley Malt in Hadley, MA, and Wildflower Honey from Tremblay Apiaries, Chemung County, NY.
The idea for Greenmarket Wheat grew from New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2012 Farm Brewery License legislation aimed at expanding the growth of craft breweries and increase demand for locally grown products to brew beer statewide.
"Our Greenmarket Regional Grains Initiative works with regional farmers to devote more acreage to growing grains. Creating partnerships to move their product into the hands of bakers—and now brewers—has helped their businesses scale up production," said Marcel Van Ooyen, executive director of GrowNYC. "Greenmarket Wheat is a collaboration of local growers, millers, malters and brewers who will all benefit from the sale of this new product, not to mention consumers who can purchase a refreshing ale they can feel good supporting. Shoppers come to the Greenmarket to eat local. Now they can drink local. We couldn’t be more thrilled to work with Brooklyn Brewery and our producers to bring local grains into the spotlight."
Greenmarket Wheat will be available for sale by the bottle on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Union Square Greenmarket.
On Tuesday, April 25, GrowNYC management was presented with a letter asking for employees in certain programs within GrowNYC to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). As an organization, GrowNYC's mission is to equitably empower all New Yorkers to improve our city. A strong, dedicated and supported staff is essential in that mission.
We fully respect the decision these employees have made to unionize and have already contacted the union to work respectfully together. We look forward to cooperating with our employees' representatives as this process moves forward.
Please rest assured that GrowNYC Management remains committed to working with the Workers Collective in good faith and to reaching a speedy agreement with their designated representative. Meanwhile, we do not foresee that any programming will be impacted, and all sites will remain open as scheduled.
1.4 million New Yorkers are food insecure - a number that will only continue to increase as the effects of climate change destroy crops and farmland in the Northeast.
We lose a farm every 3 days to real estate development and in the consolidated industrial agriculture system.
96% of all food entering New York City is through wholesale channels, much of it from far-flung parts of the globe, adding an enormous carbon footprint to what we eat.
GrowNYC’s New York State Regional Food Hub (The Hub) aims to change all this.
Opening in 2023, The Hub will connect local small and mid-sized farms with New York City schools, hospitals, and nonprofits, ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to fresh produce, while supporting regional agriculture.
We are creating a national model for building regional food systems that keep agriculture thriving while treating all stakeholders with dignity.
The Hub will enable GrowNYC to:
Increase our impact by distributing 20 million pounds of fresh produce within the next five years
Increase the number of Farmstands and Fresh Food Box sites making fresh produce accessible for all New Yorkers.
Expand our current support of community-based organizations like food pantries and other nonprofits distributing food in the communities that need it most.
Your support is crucial in challenging the status quo. Thank you for sharing our vision of building a more equitable and sustainable food system throughout the New York City region.
1 in every 16 New Yorkers lives in a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) development, few of which provide access to any sort of community green space. Home to more than 4,500 New Yorkers, the NYCHA Houses at Castle Hill in the Bronx were no exception.
In 2020, GrowNYC began organizing around a vacant 10,000-square-foot piece of land within the Castle Hill Houses. We shortly began work on a new community garden, alongside NYCHA residents and community groups.
“In the NYCHA residences, we have folks that are coming from all different walks of life. There are residents who are willing to give back, who want to make investments into the community. The Garden is essential to their quality of life," says Chantel Kemp, GrowNYC Garden Coordinator.
The space is dedicated to the late Tenant Association President and activist Roxanne Reed, who advocated tirelessly for her community and the garden.
Today, the garden is not only a place where residents grow food but also a gathering place where community events and educational workshops are held.
As of today, GrowNYC has built 13 NYCHA gardens and 150 community gardens across the city, creating over 1 million square feet of community green space in New York City.
Green space is more than an amenity - it is vital to helping neighborhoods thrive. Gardens function as a community hub, improve mental health, and make space for green infrastructure that protects NYC from the increasing effects of climate change.
Help GrowNYC continue to make New York City a greener place for all and make a gift today! Thanks to Omni New York LLC, your gift will be matched, making an impact that will last for years to come.
In the fall of 2021, the Associated Supermarket located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn shut its doors due to development. Neighborhood residents, including many seniors, found themselves without access to a grocery store.
Community members were concerned about the lack of access to affordable, fresh, healthy food. That's where GrowNYC stepped in.
GrowNYC's Crown Heights Farmstand now serves the community by bringing a selection of seasonal and affordable produce to the neighborhood every Friday. GrowNYC Farmstands bring fresh fruits and vegetables to under-resourced neighborhoods across New York City while providing workforce development opportunities for young New Yorkers.
Historically under-resourced New York City neighborhoods are frequently overlooked by large food distributors and have fewer access points to fresh produce. 60 percent of Farmstand customers use a food subsidy program like SNAP, WIC, or OTC cards, making Farmstands, as well as GrowNYC's Greenmarkets and Fresh Food Box sites, crucial to fighting the inequity in NYC's current food system.
Giselle Ladino Perez, one of our Farmstand Youth Staff, shared that "I know that everyone deserves to have food on their table. I want everyone to be able to say 'Yes, food is a human right.'"
When you give to GrowNYC you ensure that New Yorkers across the five boroughs have access to fresh, affordable food - no matter their income or zip code.
We can't do this work without your support. Thank you for sharing our vision of building a more equitable and sustainable food system throughout New York City.
GrowNYC and Brooklyn Brewery are excited to announce the launch of Greenmarket Wheat, a beer collaboration between local farmers, malters, and brewers that captures the flavor of regional agriculture in a bottle. 
