East New York Farmers Market chosen as a 2007 Market Grantee by the Project for Public Spaces

EAST NEW YORK FARMESR MARKET AWARDED GRANT TO DEVELOP NEW URBAN FARM SITE AND CONDUCT COOKING PROGRAM WITH LOCAL HEALTH CENTERS

As part of a national initiative, Project for Public Spaces has awarded a grant to the East New York Farmers Market. The grant will allow the market to develop a new urban farm site (recruiting immigrant growers and longtime residents) and to conduct a targeted nutrition and cooking education series at WIC (Women Infants and Children) centers throughout East New York. :

The grant is one of ten projects supported by Project for Public Spaces’ highly competitive initiative to diversify farmers markets nationwide. Undertaken in partnership with the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) the grants are part of a three-year, $3 million grant-making program, which began in 2005 and is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The number of farmers markets across the United States has doubled in the last decade to an estimated 4,300, selling products ranging from local produce to meat and dairy to crafts.

“Throughout the years, Project for Public Spaces has deepened its understanding of the complex relationships between a market and the community it serves,” says Steve Davies, Project for Public Spaces Senior Vice President and Director of the Public Markets Program. “These grants provide much-needed financial support for farmers markets to reach their potential as central places in communities as well as significantly contribute to their communities’ overall well-being. We hope these markets will inspire national adoption of innovative farmers market and community development programs.”

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 dedicated to creating and sustaining places that build community. We provide technical assistance, education, and research through programs in parks, plazas and central squares; buildings and civic architecture; transportation; and public markets. PPS has worked with communities in 48 states and in 20 countries around the world. Please visit www.pps.org for more information.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 “to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.” Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities.