The Hudson Valley is full of farmer’s markets and beautiful farmlands, making it easy to forget that not all local residents have the same access to fresh, healthy foods. Since 1999, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, a Poughkeepsie-based non-profit, has been trying to change just that.
Poughkeepsie Farm Project grows food for the local community and provides education about food and farming. Food justice is a core focus of the farm.
Food justice extends beyond the dinner table. It’s thinking about equity, fairness and sustainability at every level of the food system like the farmers growing food, the truckers transporting food to the cooks in restaurants and even the families eating dinner, said Jamie Levato, Education Director of Poughkeepsie Farm Project.
“Food justice also includes access to land, safe and healthy working conditions and access to markets and capital and equity and opportunity and resources in order to be at any and all levels of the food system,” said Levato
Food justice is a big project to tackle and it’s one that Poughkeepsie Farm Project takes seriously. The project offers a wide variety of resources, with one of its largest ones being a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. PFP’S CSAs allow lower income members of the community to access high quality, locally grown produce.
“We fundraise to pay the full cost or most of the cost for some lower-income share holders,” said Levato. “We also do workshops for low income families about eating well on a budget and engaging children in healthy eating in a fun, affordable way.”
Poughkeepsie Farm Project also works with many community partners on the Backpack Program. For some children, the only meals they receive are breakfast and lunch at school, meaning they might be hungry on the weekends. The Backpack Program sends food home with young children so they are able to eat on the weekends.
“At Poughkeepsie Farm Project, we donate over 35,000 pounds of produce to low-income families and emergency food relief organizations in Poughkeepsie, like soup kitchens and programs that provide free food to people,”said Diane Oktay, Vice Chair of the Poughkeepsie Farm Project board.
Poughkeepsie Farm Project seeks grants and organizes fundraising events to raise money to support their food access and education programs, with the next upcoming one being its tenth annual Soup-A-Bowl fundraising lunch at Vassar College’s Alumnae House. “It’s a fundraiser and community celebration,” said Levato. “We raise money for our education and food access programs.”
Proceeds of this event will be going towards Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s food justice program as well as their multiple education programs. One spotlight feature of this event, said Oktay, are the handmade bowls
“Art Centro in Poughkeepsie, a local community art space, has played a key role in the Soup-A-Bowl event for many years,”said Oktay. “Not only are we providing soup to people from local restaurants, but each person who buys a ticket walks away with a hand-thrown soup bowl made by local potters. More than 200 bowls get made and donated by these potters.”
Alongside the handmade ceramic bowls, the event uses compostable utensils. Attendees will fill their bowls with a variety of soups, breads, desserts and beverages donated by over two dozen local restaurants, including some popular eats like Bread Alone, River Station, Shadows on the Hudson, Rossi & Sons, Twisted Soul, Terrapin and more. This year’s Soup-A-Bowl will also feature live music.
Though tickets to the 12–1:30 seating of this Soup-A-Bowl are currently sold out, there are still tickets available for the 2:00–3:30 seating. And, those looking to give back and get involved with Poughkeepsie Farm Project can still do so by viewing upcoming events on the website or signing up for the newsletter. Plus, this long-cherished event will be back again next year.
A little bit more about Poughkeepsie Farm Project’s Farm to School Program:
