Hurricane Irene went easy on New York City, but plenty of other areas in the state and in neighboring states didn’t get off as easy. Farmers were especially hard hit, for obvious reasons. Now the Brooklyn Flea, Brooklyn’s best known flea market which has a greenmarket of its own, is drawing attention to the plight of their farmers. Through GrowNYC, they’re requesting that residents make donations to help these local food growers.
To sweeten the deal, anyone who donates over $50 by September 30th will get a free Greenmarket poster by Claudia Pearson. That donation has to be specifically earmarked for hurricane relief. With or without the poster, Brooklynites who enjoy organic, local or just fresh produce have a chance to support the people who make that produce possible, and help them survive to their next harvest. And for those who can’t donate, a simple effort to buy local is a help too.
It may be easier to buy food from a supermarket, but food bought from local growers is both fresher and more environmentally friendly. Not having been shipped across multiple states – or multiple countries! – means the food gets to the table in less time and with less wasted gas. A local natural disaster like Hurricane Irene can wipe out not only this season’s harvest, but if a farmer is hard enough hit it can wipe out their business entirely. So Brooklyn Flea’s helping hand towards farmers is a win for vendors and customers alike.
Source:
http://www.brooklynflea.com/2011/08/31/help-our-upstate-farmers/
http://www.grownyc.org/blog/?p=137