Charitable Organizations in New York to connect with and donate fresh garden produce and saved seeds:
Brooklyn, NY
Amboy Street Community Garden - is a Green Thumb space that allows community members to grow produce during the growing season. The neighborhood of Brownsville, where the community garden exists, is a food desert in Brooklyn. There aren’t many places for community members to get fresh fruits and vegetables better yet grow them on their own. Community members teach the community how to grow and cultivate organic foods for families in need.
Fishers Island, NY
Fishers Island Community Garden - Provdies individuals who don't have access to growing space personal raised beds to grow organic and heirloom varieties to feed themselves and their families. There are also communal beds tended by volunteers who will grow food for anyone to come and take. Everything is free to the community. This community garden aims to help feed those who are struggling to make ends meet, as well as educate people to grow healthy food for themselves and others. They strive to provide a safe outdoor space for people to gather and reap the mental benefits of being in a garden.
Garden City, NY
The Child Care Council of Nassau - is a nonprofit organization that implements Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings (EWPHCCS) under a grant from the NYS Department of Health. The intervention focuses on improving the nutrition and physical activity behaviors of preschool age children, their parents/caregivers, and staff by using educational strategies and skill building activities to promote healthy behavior change. The EWPHCCS program also includes a Farm to Preschool component, which aims to increase access, affordability, and consumption of local produce. Each season an on-site garden is planted with the participating child care center. EWPHCCS is currently being implemented in three Long Island Head Start centers that are looking to start a garden full of fruits and vegetables. The children will learn about healthy eating, responsibility, as well as getting a chance to practice their fine motor skills.
Montauk, NY
The Montauk Library - recognizes the importance of self-sustaining communities, children's access to fresh healthy food, and preservation, as well as sharing the joy and gratitude of gardening and seed saving. They have created a seed library for this community in hopes that families will grow their own produce and enjoy the satisfaction of reaping fruit from their own garden and sharing with others. Seed libraries provide important physical and informational resources so that members of the community can learn and practice in growing their own food.
Sidney, NY
Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties - for more than 35 years, this organization has been helping people with personal struggles improve their lives. Among many programs and support offered, they supply seeds directly to community members in need to plant and supplement their diet with fresh and healthy produce. They work with individuals, families and communities to help meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate barriers and build a just and compassionate society.
Shelter Island, NY
Shelter Island Public Library - hosts a seed library in partnership with Sylvester Manor Educational Farm (
www.sylvestermanor.org). Seeds are distributed to members of the community so they can grow their own food. They also hold seed and farming educational events at the library in conjunction with Sylvester Manor Educational Farm. Seed libraries provide important physical and informational resources so that members of the community can learn and practice in growing their own food.
