Out of an abundance of caution due to the current situation with COVID-19, GrowNYC has decided not to hold our Fresh Connect Fresh Food Box Training as an in person event on Tuesday, 3/24.  We are currently working to evaluate whether we will be able to hold an online training on Tuesday 3/24, or whether we will reschedule the training completely.  We will notify you as soon as possible about our updated plan for the training.  If you would be interested in attending an online training, you may wish to hold that time on your calendar from 1:30pm – 5pm on Tuesday 3/24 for now.

GrowNYC is happy to announce our Spring 2020 Fresh Food Box Training.  This free training is for nonprofit organizations interested in operating their own Fresh Food Box wholesale buying club for fresh, high-quality, local foods at below-retail prices. Customers pre-order bags one week in advance on the designated distribution day, and the next week pick up their Fresh Food Box share. Each share contains 6-10 seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as information on how to store and prepare the produce they’ve received.

This training will cover:

• How to source farm-fresh foods in wholesale volumes via GrowNYC Wholesale, GrowNYC's local food distribution program
• GrowNYC's Fresh Food Box best practices that can be adapted to meet the needs of your community
• Resources including manuals, order guides, and recordkeeping documents to help you operate a successful Food Box site

In order to operate a Fresh Food Box, organizations need the following capacity:

• 6-10 staff hours per week (for distribution, program administration, promotion, and bookkeeping)
• Accessible distribution location with good foot traffic
• Storage space for equipment (folding tables, tents, etc.)
• Some organizations may be eligible for $10,000 in funding from the New York State Department of Ag and Markets to support the operation of your Fresh Food Box site. For more information, click here.

If your organization or community group meets the above capacity guidelines and wishes to operate your own food box, please join us!  Please kindly fill out the google form.

From May 24 to June 5, the GrowNYC Compost Program will give out free ready-to-use compost to participants who drop off their food scraps. Finished compost is a natural fertilizer that you can apply to houseplants and outdoor plants. The distributed compost is courtesy of the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and made out of residential food scraps and yard waste from New York City. For more information about getting compost from DSNY, visit nyc.gov/getcompost. 

Please see below for the schedule of Compost Giveaway events and refer to the Compost Program Schedule for site-specific hours. Note: additional dates for giveaways at seasonal locations will be announced soon.

The compost distribution will take place during food scrap drop-off hours at each site, while supplies last. In an effort to reuse, reduce, and recycle, we are asking participants to bring their own container. Bring a coffee beans bag, shopping bag, brown bag, cereal bag, clamshell, etc. to fill with loose compost on the day of the Compost Giveaway at your food scrap drop-off site.

2019 Compost Giveaway Schedule

Friday, May 24
149th Street Compost On-The-Go  
161st Street Compost On-The-Go
Brook Avenue Compost On-The-Go· 
    
Saturday, May 25
Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket
Inwood Greenmarket
Staten Island Mall Greenmarket
Saint George Greenmarket
    
Sunday, May 26
Carroll Gardens Greenmarket
Cortelyou Greenmarket

Tuesday, May 28
Bowling Green Greenmarket
Lenox Hill Fresh Food Box

Wednesday, May 29
96th Street Compost On-The-Go
116th Street Compost On-The-Go
137th Street City College - Compost On-The-Go
145th Street Compost On-The-Go
157th Street Compost On-The-Go         
181st Street Compost On-The-Go    
Cathedral Parkway (110th Street) Compost On-The-Go
Central Park North (110th Street) Compost On-The-Go
Dyckman Street Compost On-The-Go
Project H.O.P.E Fresh Food Box
Uptown Grand Central Fresh Food Box

Thursday, May 30
BronxWorks Fresh Food Box
Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket
Columbia Greenmarket
Nos Quedamos Public Food Scrap Drop-Off Site
Parkside Plaza Compost On-The-Go
Tucker Square Greenmarket

Friday, May 31
97th Street Greenmarket

Saturday, June 1
57th Street Greenmarket
82nd Street Greenmarket
462 Halsey Community Farm Fresh Food Box
Abingdon Square Greenmarket
Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket
Fort Greene Greenmarket
McCarren Park Greenmarket
TriBeCa Greenmarket
Tucker Square Greenmarket

Sunday, June 2
79th Street Greenmarket
Columbia Greenmarket
Tompkins Square Greenmarket

Wednesday, June 5
57th Street Greenmarket
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket
TriBeCa Greenmarket