Get Fresh! Provides a Snapshot of the Local Food Environment and Generates Actions for Change

We are pleased to announce the release of the Fort Greene / Clinton Hill Community Food Assessment (CFA) titled Get Fresh! Food access, food justice and collective action in Fort Greene & Clinton Hill, a report researched and created in collaboration with local residents and food advocates. The report serves as a “snapshot” of the local food environment in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and will inform community-led efforts to improve access to fresh food, create opportunities for nutritional awareness and education, and strengthen advocacy efforts. Click here for the full Get Fresh! report.

Among several findings, the report concludes that access to quality, affordable fresh food is limited; SNAP/EBT acceptance by higher-quality retailers is low; and residents are ready and eager to learn more about ways of improving their own nutrition through education. For more detailed information you can read the Press Release by clicking here.

This holiday season, hopefully you’ll be gathering with friends, family and neighbors around a bountiful table filled with your favorite holiday dishes. If you can, take just a few minutes to talk about some of the findings from the Get Fresh! Report, and consider getting involved in community-led projects to transform our local food environment into a more just and robust system for all!

Three projects that are starting right now are: 1) help to increase the number of food retailers that accept EBT 2) participate in grocery shopping tours to help consumers make healthier choices and 3) help to ‘close the loop’ on holiday food donations. The latter project is already under way and involves encouraging those who are collecting food donations (and toys and coats) to deliver them to local pantries and churches for local distribution. Several merchants have already volunteered to serve as donation drop-off sites including: Five Spot (459 Myrtle), Maggie Brown (455 Myrtle), Green in BKLYN (432 Myrtle), Kiini Ibura (388 Myrtle), Brooklyn Stone Boutique (366 Myrtle), Cake Joy (364 Myrtle), Fort Greene SNAP (324 Myrtle) and St. Joseph’s College Tuohy Hall (245 Clinton). St. Joseph’s College will be donating farm-fresh produce to area pantries as well. If you have a location you’d like to add as a drop-off location or would like to help coordinate the efforts of this project please contact Kassy Nystrom at kassy@myrtleavenue.org or 718-230-1689.