NYCHA Farms Close Out Holiday Season with Winter Cheer Festivities

NYCHA’s farms celebrated the holiday season with winter-themed events where residents offered their visions on the future of local Eco-Hubs in addition to receiving healthy food donations.  

The free Winter Cheer events also provided the NYCHA community with holiday decorating and hot cocoa, as well as raffle prizes for those attendees who shared feedback on Eco-Hub programs.   

Approximately 200 visitors participated in the festivities at five Farms at NYCHA sites over two weekends in December. The urban farms are operated by NYCHA’s partner Green City Force (GCF) – which trains NYCHA youth for green jobs – at Howard Houses, Wagner Houses, Forest Houses, Bay View Houses, and Mariner’s Harbor Houses. 

Winter-themed events were hosted at three farms last year, but GCF expanded the activities to include all five of the sites this year. A variety of COVID-19 measures were in place this season to ensure the health and safety of attendees, including social distancing, enforcement of mask wearing, and disinfecting of shared spaces and items. 

Food distribution was a key feature of this winter’s celebrations at NYCHA’s farms, as GCF sought to make up for annual holiday potlucks and community meal events that were canceled due to indoor restrictions. More than 2,500 pounds of produce was donated to Winter Cheer attendees, including winter squash, sweet potatoes, apples, onions, and cabbage. 

Residents also had the opportunity to provide input on which sustainability themes should be considered priorities in the new year for GCF’s Eco-Hubs at NYCHA. Community health, cleanliness/waste management, and food justice were the most popular suggestions across all five sites. Additionally, visitors identified various Eco-Hub features that they hope will be developed, such as yoga and dance classes, cooking/nutrition classes, CPR training, and children’s activities.