Food Access with Education

Raises awareness about the health benefits of whole food, plant-based nutrition through outreach at fairs, festivals, film screenings, and informational tables. Activities include nutrition education and food-label literacy initiatives.

Offers nutrition and cooking classes, market tours, workshops, and experiential events to build knowledge and skills in plant-based living. These programs are delivered in person and online, often in collaboration with partner organizations, and include structured curricula such as the Food for Life program.

Operates the Plant Powered Plates program, which recruits and collaborates with restaurants in the New York metropolitan area to offer whole food, plant-based meal options to the public.

Organizes regular social events such as potlucks, dinner gatherings, and meals at local restaurants to foster community and support long-term adherence to a plant-based lifestyle.

Maintains a YouTube library, livestream series ("Heart to Healthy Heart"), curated resource lists, recipes, meal plans, and email newsletters to support plant-based living. These resources cover nutrition across life stages, disease prevention, and practical lifestyle tips.

Offers one-on-one mentorship, group mentoring, and weekly virtual Lifestyle Support Circles with up to 6 participants meeting for 6–8 weeks. These services are designed to support individuals transitioning to and maintaining a plant-based lifestyle.

Operates a structured 21-day lifestyle change program that provides educational support, peer mentorship, and accountability to help individuals adopt a whole food, plant-based diet. The program is offered in multiple languages and has enrolled over 600 participants.

Hosts monthly online meetings for volunteers, offers a 5-hour mentor training program multiple times per year, and maintains a trained network of approximately 90 peer mentors to deliver programs such as Food for Life and lifestyle support circles.

Hosts bilingual cooking demonstrations at farmers markets and community sites such as senior centers, Title 1 schools, and NYCHA facilities, reaching over 25,000 adults and children annually. In one year, conducted 230 demonstrations, reaching approximately 20,000 attendees and distributing 16,000 recipe samples.

Creates and distributes recipe booklets, nutrition guides, cooking videos, and Good-to-Go bags containing fresh produce and recipe cards. Also produces a weekly newsletter, Food Talk, distributed to over 25,000 subscribers, featuring seasonal recipes and community resources.

Distributes Health Bucks, Healthy Senior Healthy Shopper incentives, and free produce to low-income customers, including seniors, through voucher programs and emergency food distribution initiatives. In one year, distributed over $109,000 in incentives and more than 400,000 pounds of free produce to over 35,000 families via the Nourish NY program.

Operates over 15 weekly farmers markets across New York City from May through November, offering fresh, locally grown produce from New York State farms. Markets are located in low-income neighborhoods and run six days a week at various sites in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, serving over 250,000 shoppers annually.

Provides financial support to family-owned farms in the Farm-to-City program, covering operational costs such as fuel, labor, seeds, and market fees, totaling over $70,000 in one year. Facilitates vendor participation in markets and enables farmers to redeem vouchers, generating $264,656 in sales.

Provides a supported employment program with career coaching, job readiness training, placement support, and childcare assistance to help underemployed and unemployed individuals achieve economic independence and employment stability.

Offers culturally responsive services, programming, and weekly Tea Time events for New American neighbors to support integration, economic self-sufficiency, civic engagement, and access to community resources.

Provides digital empowerment services including technology training, technical assistance, and connections to subsidies and devices for residents across Syracuse to improve digital access and literacy.

Runs a senior center offering meals, social engagement, intergenerational programming, and door-to-door transportation for medical appointments, grocery shopping, banking, and personal care for individuals over age 60.

Operates a food pantry distributing nutritious food and essential household items on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; also includes a diaper bank offering diapers to families on Fridays.