Culturally Embedded Skill Building

Delivers daily operations and technical assistance in both Spanish and English, employing bilingual staff to serve diverse farming communities.

Works with partners to develop a carbon-neutral, affordable housing model for farmers and farm workers.

Hosts community events including skill-building workshops, vegan brunches, group hikes, and celebrations focused on learning, agricultural professional development, and the history and culture of the Black diaspora.

Operates the E.J. Szulwach Community Garden on 0.25 acres of Black Dirt soil, offering plots of 100 square feet for $30 per year ($25 for seniors and disabled individuals), with members allowed to lease up to 8 plots annually from March 1 to January 31.

Provides long-term, secure tenure and leased infrastructure space to early-stage farmers on Black Dirt muckland soils; supports over 34 agricultural businesses through 18 long-term leases totaling 210 acres. Requires organic and regenerative farming practices across all tenant farms.

Provides fiscal sponsorship for The Institute of Mindful Agriculture (IMA), supporting its work in regenerative agriculture, food sovereignty, and spiritual ecology.

Operates two retail farm grocery stores using a multi-tier pricing model to increase affordability for low-income families; served over 1,000 individuals and families in the year, more than half of whom were severely income-constrained or facing financial hardship.

Provides grant funding to beginning farmers through programs including La Beca Braiding Seeds, Mutual Aid Funds, and Climate Emergencies Funds, disbursing over $1.55 million in the past three years.

Supports multiple organic farms producing vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, halal meat, organic eggs, and specialty crops such as East Asian heritage varieties and beetroot products; distributes through farmers markets, wholesale outlets, restaurants, and nationwide sales.

Manages farmland using organic practices that result in approximately half the annual nitrate leaching losses compared to conventionally farmed soils, based on a 12-year study.

Conducts workshops and mentorship programs aimed at improving access to natural resources conservation services and career opportunities in conservation for historically underserved and socially disadvantaged communities.

Provides one-on-one language and cultural exchange sessions by employing forcibly displaced people as paid tutors, offering students global language practice in Arabic, Spanish, French, and German, while facilitating cross-cultural dialogue on topics such as Middle Eastern Studies, Latin American Studies, Africana Studies, Francophone Studies, and Migration and Displacement.

Conducts mandatory cultural sensitivity training for administrative team members and all conversation partners, including required readings and discussions on race, gender, borders, and humanitarian aid to ensure awareness and respectful engagement with forcibly displaced communities.

Offers an 8-week, tuition-free Line Cook Apprenticeship program equivalent to the first semester of culinary school, combining classroom instruction with hands-on training in a professional kitchen. The program teaches foundational culinary skills using the same textbook as the Culinary Institute of America.

Teaches essential cooking techniques including knife handling, plating, food safety, kitchen documentation, compliance protocols, and proper food temperatures through hands-on practice in a professional kitchen environment.

Provides hands-on culinary and hospitality training programs in New York and New Jersey to prepare individuals for careers in the food service industry, including restaurants, hotels, schools, and healthcare facilities. Programs are designed in partnership with food service employers and UNITE HERE Local 100 to align education, labor, and industry needs.

Offers an in-person ESL course three times per week in New York, NY, integrating job-specific English for kitchen environments, digital literacy, resume writing, email communication, and online job search skills to support career entry and advancement.

Provides comprehensive training in food safety principles, including proper cooking, cooling, storage, personal hygiene, handwashing, illness reporting, cleaning and sanitizing procedures, and safe food receiving with time-temperature controls. Awards ServSafe Food Certification and a CEC Completion Certificate upon program completion.