HARVEST SHARE - PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
In June 2022, Dr. Stella Yi of NYU Langone and the Harvest Share team launched a subsidized fresh produce box offering discounted boxes of fresh Chinese vegetables grown on Brooklyn Grange’s Sunset Park farm. The program aims to understand and address the causes of nutrition-related issues and improve the overall well-being of the largely immigrant community in the neighborhood.
CHALLENGE
Latinxs and Asian Americans in the US face unique disparities contributing to poor diet quality, which in turn have contributed to the increased burden of diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in these communities. Working collaboratively with farming and food organizations and community-based organizations, the aims of the 2022 Harvest Share pilot were to apply community-engaged methods to refine, culturally adapt and implement a systems-level program for improving diet in low income, Chinese American immigrants.
2022 PILOT RESULTS
In 2022, a total of 38 community members enrolled in the program. This pilot initiative successfully wrapped up after 20 weeks with high engagement and acceptance.
90% of community participants attended the weekly produce box pick-up events
100% of community participants said they would recommend the program to others and re-enroll for another year
Community members reported eating a greater variety of vegetables and a reduced number of vegetables that they did not know how to prepare.
A statistically significant increase in skin carotenoid score (a biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake) was also observed before and after participation in the produce box program.
Members of the Harvest Share team preparing for pickups
Example of one weekly share cultivated by Brooklyn Grange farmers
Harvest Share members picking up their vegetables
2023 GOALS
In 2023, HS aims to carry out a community-wide effort to support healthy diet and strengthen community and social ties in low-income Chinese, Mexican/Puerto Rican, and Bangladeshi immigrant communities living in the Sunset Park, Brooklyn neighborhood.In order to achieve the goal of supporting the community across social and ‘built’ environments, NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) worked closely with community-based organizational partners in Sunset Park, like the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), a community based organization servicing Asian Americans in NYC; “The Table” at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone offering regular community food pantry support, The Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming (Glynwood), a non-profit organization service food and farming changemakers from New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond, Brooklyn Grange. Harvest Share has included additional groups for the continuation of the program, specifically with Angel Family Farm, a Mexican American farm; Earth Matter, a nonprofit composting organization; Mixteca, a community-based organization serving Mexican and Latin Americans; Hot Bread Kitchen, a workforce development nonprofit for immigrant women of color; and P.S. 169, an elementary school in Sunset Park. Through the collaborative work across this network of community partners, we aim to ultimately increase food security and promote collective healing through food and community.
