NEW YORK (PIX11) – It started twenty years ago at the Melrose houses in the Bronx. Now, City Harvest has nine mobile markets in all five boroughs.
City Harvest is New York City’s first and largest food rescue organization.
It is marking the 20th anniversary of its mobile market program, a free farmers’ market-style distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables directly to residents in neighborhoods that lack access to affordable produce.
Some families say the key to its success is that the program goes to where the greatest need is and helps families where they live.
Since kicking off the program in 2004, City Harvest’s Mobile Markets have seen one million visits.
Mobile Markets have distributed nearly 41 million pounds of nutritious, free food to New Yorkers. The program has distributed more than 3.1 million pounds of free food in the last year, serving more than 111,000 households.
The 20th anniversary of Mobile Markets comes as food pantry visits in New York City are the highest on record, with average monthly visits up 82% compared to 2019, according to a recent City Harvest report.
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