Help food-insecure residents, especially Brownsville, get fresh food during COVID 19 + save local businesses by buying their goods for frontline workers + get health supplies to all.
Leader
Solomon Long
Location
213 Osburn Street Brooklyn, NY 11212
It's no surprise to Seeds in the Middle that minority Brooklyn residents, living in food deserts of neighborhoods like Flatbush, Crown Heights, Brownsville and more, are the ones dying at the highest rates from COVID19. Central Brooklyn is one of three neighborhoods in NYC with the highest rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, cancer and asthma. That means they have underlying conditions that make them especially vulnerable to the worst effects of COVID19.
Despite the millions being allocated for free food for the city's most vulnerable, Seeds in the Middle is hearing from many of our communities that they are not receiving fresh fruits and vegetables - armed with the nutrients to fight off disease.
That's why we want to fundraise specifically to get low-cost and free fresh fruits and vegetables to those who need it the most. We also will supply recipes and informaiton on nutrition and tips to stay well... so families can cook with children now staying at home instead of in school and help the students be academically challenged through cooking.
We also are super-concerned about our frontline health workers, who are also the same people living in these neighborhoods who can't get healthy, nutritious food.
Seeds in the Middle is always grateful to the many restaurants, bars and food businesses that donated to us for Tastes of Brooklyn fundraising events before COVID19 forced us into social isolation. We now want to thank them by providing ways they can make food we can buy for our health workers and contribute to other funds doing the same.
We applaud the city for making efforts to get food to those most in need in central Brooklyn's vulnerable neighborhoods. But we hear from parents that the NYC Dept. of Education food is not food they can cook at home.
We have started our Fresh Food Box program at IS 240 in Flatbush plus need funds for updated EBT/SNAP equipment so people can use food stamps (cost about $1,000). We are opening a second farm stand outside PS 284 in Brownsville and need to buy EBT/SNAP equipment as well.
In addition, we want to draw the good will of people already donating to fine alliances like Crown Heights Mutual Aid and double their donations.
We want to create a Brownsville Mutual Aid group to steer resources to Brownsville and the hospital centers, like Brookdale.
Our big goal out of this pandemic is to empower people in communities of color - in food deserts - to run their own neighborhood, affordable, nearby fresh food stands where economic incentives like food stamps - SNAP/EBT - Farmers Market Nutrition Checks, FMNP - and every other incentive for low-income residents is accepted. We want to build an economy of fresh and healthy, just like that available to more affluent neighborhoods not suffering at the high rates of African-American and Latino residents in NYC. The start-up cost of farm stand with Seeds in the Middle is $10,000 for 12 weeks and pays a manager and stipends for youth.
Just take a look here at articles that show how minority Americans are suffering the most and dying in higher numbers from COVID-19.
See AARP here.
Diabetes and Heart Disease put Americans at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19
Look at health disparities for diabetes from Centers for Disease Control here
Let's help everyone cook, eat fresh and be healthy.
April 1 - May 1 - Asking residents to fill out our survey if they need fresh food and calling and texting and emailing the communities we serve. We were piloting a Fresh Food Box program at IS 240 in Flatbush and PS 284 in Brooklyn and particularly will reach out to these families, plus Crown Heights where many of our volunteers are from. Create Brownsville Mutual Aid with community members, if possible. We also will ask about need for soap, masks or gloves.
April 20: Start organizing to do food drops at housing projects and other locations.
April 24: Buy fresh produce from our own funds to start with a first food drop and still search for funding.
May 1 - July 30 - make regular deliveries in neighborhoods selected by survey (mainly Brownsville, Crown Heights, Flatbush but other high-need places if desired). Help buy food for health workers from local restaurants and food establishments. Open Brownsville and Flatbush markets.
Seeds in the Middle was founded in food deserts in central Brooklyn, namely Crown Heights. Over the past decade, despite everyone's efforts, we have seen obesity, heart disease, diabetes and other preventable diseases only rise. We still see vast disparities in access to healthy choices across NYC.
Our focus in central Brooklyn and ensuring that children and families get to eat healthy, nutritious food to avoid contracting the virus and these diseases. We want to empower them - "teach a man and women to fish" - to be able to get access to fruits and vegetables and prepare nutritious meals so children everywhere have access to a healthy, promising future.
Want one example of health disparities? See the graphic here from the CDC that shows that more than twice the number of African-Americans have heart disease than whites.
See New York Times story here: Black Americans face Alarming Rates of Coronavirus Infections in Some States
