Part of the Food Policy Community Spotlight Series
Name: Grassroots Grocery
What they do: Grassroots Grocery is a nonprofit organization that works with community leaders and volunteers to rescue and distribute nutritious food to community members in the Bronx and Manhattan. Their philosophy is rooted in the idea of neighbors helping neighbors and they aim to cultivate a community committed to feeding each other.
How they do it: Grassroots Grocery rescues food in bulk every Saturday from Hunts Point Produce Market, where it is then delivered by volunteers and community leaders to households in need or to local community refrigerators. To date they have rescued and delivered over 550,000 pounds of food with the help of 30+ community-led hyper-local food distribution sites.
Core Programs:
- Rapid Rescue Program: Grassroots Grocery receives about 8,000 pounds of produce from their partners at Hunts Point Produce Market every Saturday. Volunteer drivers transport the produce to various drop-off sites. Each drop-off site is led by a trusted community leader who distributes the food within their neighborhood. Through the efforts of these dedicated volunteers and community leaders, over 1,100 families are provided with fresh produce.
- Community Fridges: Grassroots Grocery currently maintains three community refrigerators and contributes to several others that are already existing. They source food at the local level to keep the refrigerators stocked, they are expanding healthy food access to those who would otherwise be without it in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx and Manhattan.
Interesting fact about how it is working to positively affect the food system and current campaign: Grassroots Grocery was founded in 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They recognize that many New Yorkers experiencing a food emergency lack access to a food pantry and help to solve this access issue by ensuring healthful foods are reaching those in need.
FACT SHEET:
Location: 1957 Turnbull Avenue Bronx, NY 10473
Areas served: Harlem, NY · The Bronx, NY · Inwood, NY
Year Started: 2021
Number of staff: 1 full-time, 5 part-time
Number of Volunteers: 2,700+
Contact Information: dan@grassrootsgrocery.org
