A unique farm-to-community center, billed as the first of its kind, will open in Newark this December with the aim to address some of the needs contributing to food insecurity.
Harvest will open in the city’s Central Ward, serving as a distribution center of fresh produce for food banks and soup kitchens, while also providing space for healthy cooking classes and wellness counseling. The center will be operated by RWJBarnabas Health and Urban Agriculture Cooperative.
“Everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food,” said Mark Manigan, president and CEO of RWJBarnabas Health.
“This new hub gives us a new platform to expand, and to meet some of the increased demand that we’re facing now at our smaller warehouse that’s bursting at the seams,” added Emilio Panasci, co-founder of Urban Agriculture Cooperative. “Demand is constantly growing. We function 52 weeks of year.”
Thanks to a combination of state funding, private philanthropy, and some federal dollars, Panasci said the cooperative purchases produce from New Jersey farms and provides it to schools, food pantries, and families.
[Disclosure: RWJBarnabas Health is an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News.]
