The People's Money (2022-2023)
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Mini Farm-To-Table Experience at Concrete Plant Park, Bronx, NY
What problem would you like to solve?
Bronx Eats will focus on food insecurity and increasing plant-based cooking knowledge in the Southwest Bronx, Longwood neighborhood. Bronx Eats is proposing several different, yet interrelated, projects in its application to the CEC. This project is called "Mini Farm-to-Table Experience at Concrete Plant Park, Bronx, NY".
The Bronx is ranked #62 out of 62 counties for worst health in NY state for the past 13 years. COVID and mortality rates are highest in the Bronx compared to the rest of NYC. Food insecurity in the Bronx is a crisis of epidemic proportions and a central obstacle to personal and public health. Most Bronx neighborhoods, especially Mott Haven and Melrose, do not offer access to enough fresh produce which we know is vital for achieving optimal health and preventing and even reversing disease. The Bronx has some of the very highest rates of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and others. And yet, in the very same place, the Bronx is home to Hunt’s Point Market, the largest food distribution center of its kind in the world, earning annual revenues of over $2 billion. The Bronx is also surrounded by other wealthier neighborhoods, boroughs, and counties that have five times more supermarkets and far fewer fast food outlets than the Bronx; communities in the Bronx have been intentionally divested of resources.
Bronx Eats, in partnership with Bronx Night Market, will increase plant-based, nutritious, scratch-cooking education in schools and provide increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables by establishing food festivals and pop-up events. Cooking education and increased access to fresh produce have been shown to empower people to improve their diets, reduce consumption of ultra-processed and fast foods, reshape their food preferences, and create a paradigm for community wellness that includes fresh produce, green markets, co-ops, and community gardens.
Bronx Eats has the local credibility and track record to transform food deserts into food sanctuaries by shortening the supply chain, and creating access to fresh produce, local products, and vegan food within Bronx neighborhoods while also inspiring Bronxites to cook healthier plant-based food at home.
Why is it important to solve? Why is it relevant for the community?
Bronxites deserve to grow, advance, and prosper in every avenue of life. Access to healthy and nutrient-dense food is required in order to survive, thrive, and reach our potential. If health is not maintained, neighborhoods have no workforce and human resources are squandered, in addition to putting stress on the healthcare system. Food is not only medicine but also a great means of community building.
We are wasting human resources in the Bronx by depriving people of access to healthy, culturally appropriate, nutritious food, and the skills to prepare it. This can change with an infusion of plant-based cooking education and increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The strength, health, and wellness of Bronx communities depend on this public health upgrade. Food is a basic human right that Bronxites deserve.
What idea do you have to address the problem?
Bronx Eats, Inc. will partner with Chef Genny Mack, holistic nutritionist, plant-based chef, and founder of theEatschool (gennymack.com) at the Concrete Plant Park in the Longwood Section of the Bronx (https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/concrete-plant-park/). Chef Mack will offer walking tours to identify and forage plants and herbs, followed by cooking demonstrations using these freshly harvested ingredients. For example, rhubarb is available in the Summer and can be harvested to make rhubarb crumble. Chef Mack will discuss plant identification, the medicinal benefits of local plants, and use her cooking demonstrations to incorporate these plants into her food demo, highlighting and educating people on the power of plants, the idea behind food as medicine, and the important health benefits we derive from eating plants. Events will be open to the public (adults and children) and will be marketed through Bronx Eats, Chef Genny Mack's social media, and Concrete Plant Park’s newsletter.
Who would that help?
Low-income and POC Bronxites, including children. The Bronx will become a place of opportunity, food access, and abundance rather than the quintessential example of a racialized food system. Bronx Eats will catalyze Bronxites to feel more empowered in the kitchen, take control of their diets, advance public health, and increase plant-based eating and education on a personal and community-wide level. Bronx Eats will engage every sector of the Bronx community in building a healthier food ecosystem that supports local businesses, creates jobs, improves overall health and wellness, and strengthens and motivates community boards to advocate for its mission.
What NYC borough would benefit from your idea?
Bronx, NY
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