DCA Awards Grant to Greensgrow Farm for Mobile Fresh Food Market

$100,000 in Federal Funding Helps Bring Fresh Produce to Camden Neighborhoods


 

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Lori Grifa today announced that $100,000 in federal funding was awarded to Greensgrow Farm of Philadelphia, a nationally recognized leader in urban farming, to bring fresh food grown by South Jersey farmers to underserved neighborhoods in Camden.

"There is nothing better than buying and eating foods that are locally grown. Not only are these foods great-tasting and healthy, they also support local farms, preserve open space and are better for the environment," said Commissioner Grifa. "By investing in this project, the DCA has not only helped to address the problem of access to fresh produce in Camden, but we are helping the environment and our economy."

The funding is made available through the DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources' administration of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), a federal, anti-poverty block grant that awards funds to agencies for health, education, employment, housing and other services for low-income families.

Greensgrow Farm has used the $100,000 grant to retrofit and operate a van to deliver fresh produce and healthy food to downtown Camden and four city neighborhoods, including Cooper Grant, East Camden, North Camden and Waterfront South. The van has side windows for ventilation, awnings for shade, and racks outside for self-service shopping. Each neighborhood market is run in cooperation with community-based organizations, which often sell baked goods at the sites and offer social services to customers. The mobile markets will continue through the first week of November.

The DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources is committed to building neighborhoods and to providing financial and technical assistance to municipalities, community action agencies and other nonprofit organizations for community and economic development projects that improve the quality of life for low-income, disabled and disadvantaged residents.

For more information on the Department's administration of the CSBG grant program, log on to www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/offices/comact.html.

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