CURRENT DIRECT PURCHASING ARRANGEMENTS

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Just Food’s Direct Purchasing Program connects food pantries, soup kitchens and other community meals programs in New York City with local farms. Just Food works with the NYC institution to learn about their produce purchasing needs and logistical constraints, and then matches the institution with a local farm for whom the logistics make sense and that would benefit from the market. Just Food brings the farmer and the NYC community organization together in order to work out the details of a direct purchasing arrangement that will be mutually beneficial. Below are the three direct purchasing relationships that Just Food has helped set up.
 
 
Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York (CCCS) provides a comprehensive range of human services in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island and in the lower Hudson Valley counties of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan. CCCS Emergency Food Services support 49 parish and community-based food pantries and soup kitchens in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. In 2009, Just Food helped CCCS set up a direct purchasing relationship with J. Glebocki Farms, a family farm in Orange County, NY. Starting with their Kennedy Center Food Pantry in Central Harlem, CCCS began ordering produce from J. Glebocki Farms in July. In October, CCCS expanded the program to two additional food pantries—St. Cecilia’s Food Pantry in East Harlem, and their Washington Heights Ecumenical Food Pantry on Broadway. From July through December of 2009, CCCS spent over $20,000 on local produce from J. Glebocki Farms, providing fresh and nutritious produce to over 5,500 unduplicated low-income residents of New York City.
 
 
Venture House is a clubhouse located in Jamaica, Queens that provides services to adults with mental illnesses. Services include providing opportunities for meaningful work, sustaining relationships, secure housing, adequate income, access to medical care, and opportunities to pursue personal and educational goals. Venture House also provides over 300 meals per week to members. In 2009, Just Food helped Venture House establish a direct purchasing arrangement with Caral Farms, an organic farm that is part of the New Farmer Development Program. From June 5th until the 30th of October, Venture House placed their weekly order and picked it up from Herald Naupari of Caral Farms at the Jamaica Farmers Market. Their weekly orders typically included about a dozen different items and averaged between $100-200. During the growing season, Venture House spent about $2200, and purchased about 90% of its produce, from Caral Farms. Venture House said that “while our previous practice of buying fruits and vegetables in bulk from a wholesale club was impractical and unsupportive of sustainable practices, our purchase agreement with Caral Farms has been cost-effective and has given us a closer connection with the food we eat.”
 
 
Gateway Counseling Center
Gateway Counseling Center (GCC) was founded on the principal that all individuals - including those with developmental disabilities and/or mental illness - deserve to live happy, productive, independent lives.  Since GCC opened more than 20 years ago, the organization has served more than a thousand mentally challenged clients by pioneering innovative programs that speak to them not only as individuals, but as shareholders in the larger community around them.  Gateway programs run 365 days a year, 7 days a week, from early morning on into the evening hours, serving clients in the Bronx, upper Manhattan, and Queens. As part of its Healthy Habits initiative, which takes a holistic approach to wellness, GCC recently partnered with Trinity Farm through Just Food to provide straight-from-the-farm produce for its client meals.  On June 17th, GCC received their first delivery from their farmer, David Haughton.  The clients overwhelmingly endorsed the arugula, cherry tomatoes, herbs, and melons from Trinity Farms, often coming back for second, third, and even fourth helpings.  Says program administrator Heidi Reinberg, “GCC’s clients just love having so many great fruits and vegetables – they eat the cherry tomatoes like candy!  I truly believe that this partnership is going to have a huge impact on not only the health of our clients, but on the health of our staff too – many of whom have been inspired to eat more healthfully after seeing the gorgeous produce from Trinity Farm.”