Local Farmer Market Good for Your Pocket

By Angid Machado

Living in the city, it isn’t easy to find healthy, organic produce that is reasonably priced. Shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, you can spend $100 to $200 on organic groceries but not everyone can afford those prices. Not only that, but these markets may be a bit out of range for the average Bronx consumer. So, it is very convenient for citizens to be able to shop for fruits and vegetables locally, and at a fair price at the GrowNYC Eastchester Farm stand.

Founded in 1970, GrowNYC is an organization with a mission to make healthy food available to everyone at affordable prices. The farm stand I visited was located at East 229th Street & Schieffelin Avenue. A staff member explained that the produce is from local farms. But this is not the only location that can be visited for their produce. There are different locations that can be attended all across New York. You can actually pull up our list of suppliers on the website.

There are a variety of vendors/suppliers that the Organization utilizes. For example, Prospect Hill Orchards provides apples and pears, while Handsome Brook Farm provides cage free eggs, for customers to purchase at a more affordable price. On the stand there were fliers, where a customer could see information that stated how long this event would be active, where, when, and even the partnerships involved. While most are local, one vendor hailed from Pennsylvania. And interestingly enough, although the GrowNYC organization claims to be nonprofit, there is a disclaimer in the greenmarket farmers and producers page stating that they are not responsible for any information on the produce posted outside of their site. Aside from the vendors, there are partnerships involved as well. Such as Camber Property Group. This company’s a real estate company who’s goal is to develop affordable housing. Which still lines up with the company’s values of being affordable. Customers can use cash, SNAP, EBT, credit, debit, and FMNP checks and when they do, they get a coupon back. They can then use this coupon in the future anytime they shop there again.

The farm stand is located right across the street from a mass COVID-19 vaccination site. One of the first things you read or hear after getting the COVID-19 vaccine is that you should keep hydrated and to get your vitamins, especially with the Delta variant. It is the perfect place to attract customers because it may catch their eye, and maybe even think that the greens they buy could protect them from any threats that want to enter their bodies. GrowNYC has made it fairly easy for people to afford greens and other necessities in these trying times.

Information from: https://www.grownyc.org/farmstand/eastchester