Dear New Yorker,
You may recall, in November the NYC Council released "FoodWorks," our bold, new plan for improving
I'm pleased to report that we've launched full-force into our FoodWorks agenda.
Below are some of the recent steps we've taken to achieve our vision of creating a more sustainable food system, as well as information about upcoming events closely related to our FoodWorks plan.
GROCERYworks
Recently, Council Member Stephen Levin and I met with students and graduates of GROCERYworks, an innovative workforce development initiative conducted by The HOPE Program in downtown
This Council-funded program trains and places unemployed and under-served New Yorkers in the growing food retail industry. Students will undergo eight weeks of full-time soft and hard skills training. They will also take part in four-week internships at grocery stores and other food related sites across the city.
To read more about this exciting new program, see our story on NY1 below:
La Marqueta
Last month, I joined NYC Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky, Hot Bread Kitchen and Council Members Melissa Mark-Viverito, Karen Koslowitz, Diana Reyna, Julissa Ferreras, Daniel Dromm and Dominic Recchia to celebrate the opening of the City's new kitchen incubator at La Marqueta in
With help from the City Council, this long-vacant, city-owned space has been transformed into a gleaming new 3,000 square-foot commercial kitchen, where aspiring food entrepreneurs can receive the workspace, technical assistance and other ingredients they need to turn their culinary talents into successful businesses.
Hot Bread Kitchen, who oversees and manages the incubator, is running weekly tours of the kitchen.
To rent space or take a tour, please contact Hot Bread Kitchen at http://hotbreadkitchen.org/hbk-incubator . If you have any questions about the incubator itself, please contact Sarah Brannen in the Council's Policy Division at (212) 788-9144 or sbrannen@council.nyc.gov .
Council Introduces New Food-Related Legislation
Last month, the City Council introduced a number of exciting new measures outlined in the Foodworks report
To help reduce the City's ecological footprint, Council Member James Sanders has introduced a resolution (Reso. 628) calling on the NYS State Legislature and Governor Cuomo to regulate the amount and type of packaging used to encase goods procured by the State and all localities.
Additionally, Council Member Annabel Palma has introduced a bill (Intro. 461) that would establish packaging reduction guidelines for city agency contractors.
In an effort to support our local farmers, Council Member Debi Rose is sponsoring a resolution (Reso. 627) calling on the NYS Legislature to amend the General Municipal Law to allow NYC to institute procurement preferences for the purchasing of food originating within the NY region.
Finally, Council Member Gail Brewer has introduced legislation (Intro. 453) requiring city agencies to develop guidelines that encourage the purchase of food that is grown, harvested, or produced in
Hearing dates for these bills will be posted on our calendar ( http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/Calendar.aspx ) as soon as they've been set. To read more about these new food measures, click here .
Council to Examine School Food Programs & Policies
Tomorrow (February 8th) at 1 p.m. in the 14th Floor Committee Room at 250 Broadway in
Let us know what you think about the type of meals being served to our City's students.
If you can't make it to the hearing on such short notice, e-mail your written comments to us at speakerquinn@council.nyc.gov and we'll be sure to forward them to the committees' staff.
Food Stamp Use at Greenmarkets in NYC Doubles!
Last summer, the Council funded Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) machines at an additional 16 greenmarkets to enable them to accept food stamps, bringing the total to 40 markets citywide.
Due to these continued efforts, I'm very pleased to announce that food stamp purchases at greenmarkets doubled in 2010, growing from $251,000 in 2009 to over $500,000 in 2010. In fact, some markets have reported nearly $6,000 in food stamp sales in just a single day.
In addition, over 80 percent of total food stamp dollars were used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, proving once again that New Yorkers will buy healthy foods if given the option.
I'd like to thank Council Member Annabel Palma, GrowNYC Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen and Greenmarket Director Michael Hurwitz for working with us to increase food stamp usage at greenmarkets around the city.
To read more about this dramatic increase, please click on the press release below:
http://council.nyc.gov/html/releases/greenmarket_ebt_doubles_01_03_11.shtml
Looking Ahead
We're very excited about our FoodWorks plan and the progress we're making building a more sustainable food system for our city. We can't do it alone, though, and we hope you'll continue to stay involved in these efforts and encourage others to join us as well.
Together, I'm confident we can achieve our vision for a better, more sustainable food system.
Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
NYC Council