Spotlight: L.E.S. Youthmarket's Phylisha Conyers
At the end of last month, during the busy season at Youthmarket, we visited our Lower East Side Youthmarket which is in partnership with Henry Street Settlement, whose mission is to ”open doors of opportunity for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers through social services, arts and health care programs.” This market is open on Thursdays through November 21st, from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
What is Youthmarket? It is a network of urban farm stands operated by neighborhood youth, supplied by local farmers and designed to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to communities throughout New York City. Youthmarket offers families in NYC increased access to farm fresh food, youth in these areas earn money and learn small-business skills, and farmers in the New York City region continually achieve higher revenue through access to under-served markets.
It was a hot, sunny Thursday afternoon, the type that makes you slow and lethargic, with the heat like an inescapably stifling blanket. But as we approached the Lower East Side Youthmarket on Grand Street, there was no sign that the summer’s worst had done its work. There was a flurry of activity. Everywhere else along the block it was empty and quiet, but the farm stand was a hub of lively chatter and busy hands.
We found Phylisha Conyers busily stringing together small cards with vegetable names written on them, to be used as signs indicating the type and cost of produce displayed. She agreed to a quick interview while her hands continued to be productive, without missing a beat.
How did you get involved with GrowNYC's Youthmarket?
I heard about the Youthmarket program from one of my Project RISE supervisors at the Henry Street Settlement. I am working towards getting my diploma there. When I heard about Youthmarket, I thought: “Okay that seems interesting!” I mean this is something I've never done before and I wanted the experience.
I tried it out with my sister, Tiana Conyers, who’s in the same program with me. We went to orientation, which was about 9 hours long, but really interesting. So I agreed to join.
What has the experience been like so far?
I’ve been here since July 10th of this year. It’s been really cool. In the beginning it was a bit overwhelming. When we began set up, there were so many people lined up already - we hadn’t even started yet! But I figured it out and learned a lot along the way, so the customers are always taken care of. The market is open every Thursday, so you’ll find me here!
What is your favorite item on sale here today?
I would have to say…the plums and the kale. The plums are so sweet.
(Phylisha's sister, Tiana Conyers, chimes in) Tiana: Say the peaches. They’re better.
Phylisha: I like the plums the best. As for kale, we never tried it before working here, but we recently tried juicing it and it was so good.
Tiana: Also, the corn here is so different from regular supermarket corn. Frozen corn is like dead corn compared to this! One other thing I learned is about carrot tops: you should use them. People often throw them away but I learned we can make delicious pesto with it. We cook together every week. I believe we’re doing collard greens today.
In your spare time, what hobbies do you have?
Right now I’m really interested in photography. It would be cool to become a photographer someday. Aside from photography, I also love make-up. I do that for fun, to be creative.
What do you believe is the importance of what you do here?
Reaching out to the community, to people who are struggling, to those who don’t have access to things others do - I feel it’s so good to help them. People come here and buy their food every week, and it’s so good to serve them here on a regular basis. We have friendly customers and I love seeing them.
The Lower East Side Youthmarket is located on Grand Street between Pitt and Willett Streets, Manhattan. It is in operation every Thursday through November 21st, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Recent Posts
- Fall Events at the Union Square Greenmarket
- Spend your Summer EBT at GrowNYC Greenmarket and Farmstand locations!
- Opposing SNAP Cuts: Protecting Our Community's Access to Healthy Food
- GrowNYC Zero Waste Community Resources
- Sustainable Summer with GrowNYC!
- Help GrowNYC Transform NYC's Food System
- GrowNYC Publishes 2023 Impact Report
- 2024 Seasonal Greenmarkets and Farmstands Opening!
- Use Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) with GrowNYC
- The 2024 Health Bucks are now available!
Tags
- Grains
- compost
- recycle
- recycling
- greenmarket
- kids
- union square
- swap
- youthmarket
- grow to learn
- learn it grow it eat it
- reuse
Archives
- August 2024 (1)
- July 2024 (4)
- June 2024 (1)
- April 2024 (1)
- March 2024 (1)
- February 2024 (1)
- December 2023 (1)
- November 2023 (3)
- October 2023 (5)
- May 2023 (1)
- April 2023 (2)
- December 2022 (1)
- November 2022 (3)
- September 2022 (1)
- June 2022 (1)
- April 2022 (2)
- March 2022 (2)
- December 2021 (2)
- November 2021 (1)
- October 2021 (3)
- September 2021 (3)
- August 2021 (2)
- June 2021 (3)
- May 2021 (1)
- April 2021 (1)
- March 2021 (1)
- January 2021 (8)
- December 2020 (2)
- October 2020 (3)
- July 2020 (1)
- June 2020 (2)
- March 2020 (6)
- February 2020 (3)
- January 2020 (2)
- December 2019 (2)
- November 2019 (1)
- October 2019 (1)
- September 2019 (7)
- July 2019 (4)
- June 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (1)
- April 2019 (3)
- March 2019 (4)
- February 2019 (3)
- January 2019 (3)
- November 2018 (3)
- October 2018 (3)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (2)
- July 2018 (4)
- June 2018 (5)
- May 2018 (1)
- April 2018 (1)
- February 2018 (3)
- December 2017 (2)
- November 2017 (3)
- October 2017 (7)
- September 2017 (4)
- August 2017 (3)
- July 2017 (1)
- June 2017 (2)
- May 2017 (4)
- April 2017 (1)
- March 2017 (2)
- February 2017 (2)
- January 2017 (3)
- November 2016 (1)
- August 2016 (1)
- July 2016 (4)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (4)
- February 2016 (2)
- January 2016 (1)
- December 2015 (4)
- November 2015 (2)
- October 2015 (2)
- September 2015 (4)
- August 2015 (2)
- July 2015 (2)
- June 2015 (3)
- May 2015 (2)
- April 2015 (2)
- March 2015 (1)
- February 2015 (2)
- January 2015 (2)
- December 2014 (3)
- November 2014 (5)
- October 2014 (3)
- September 2014 (3)
- August 2014 (3)
- July 2014 (3)
- June 2014 (2)
- May 2014 (5)
- April 2014 (4)
- March 2014 (2)
- February 2014 (3)
- January 2014 (1)
- December 2013 (4)
- November 2013 (3)
- October 2013 (5)
- September 2013 (4)
- August 2013 (2)
- July 2013 (4)
- June 2013 (2)
- March 2013 (2)
- February 2013 (2)
- January 2013 (2)
- December 2012 (3)
- November 2012 (2)
- October 2012 (3)
- September 2012 (2)
- August 2012 (5)
- July 2012 (4)
- June 2012 (3)
- May 2012 (2)
- April 2012 (4)
- March 2012 (7)
- February 2012 (5)
- January 2012 (9)
- November 2011 (7)
- October 2011 (4)
- September 2011 (2)
- August 2011 (7)
- July 2011 (4)
- June 2011 (2)
- May 2011 (4)
- April 2011 (3)
- March 2011 (5)
- February 2011 (3)
- January 2011 (5)
- December 2010 (5)
- November 2010 (7)
- October 2010 (6)
- August 2010 (1)
- June 2009 (1)
- May 2009 (1)
- March 2009 (1)
- November 2008 (2)
- August 2008 (1)