More Garden Space in New Haven Brings More Healthy Food for Families

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New Haven is the second most obese county in Connecticut, with 60 percent of Hispanic adults in New Haven struggling with obesity.

Luckily, there are groups that are working to get healthy, nourishing food to those in the area who need it.

New Haven Farms (NHF) works to combat both food insecurity and health conditions including diabetes and obesity by providing families with fresh produce and nutrition lessons. The organization currently operates eight small garden sites throughout the city, growing 5,500 pounds of produce feeding 20 families over the winter and 40 over the summer.

In collaboration with the City of New Haven, NHF is in the process of acquiring a new farm that will triple its food output, allowing them to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for more families in need.

The space is currently owned by the city of New Haven and operated by the Livable City Initiative, which will transfer operations to NHF at no cost.

NHF’s main program is its collaboration with Fair Haven Community Health center. Patients who live within 200 percent of the federal poverty line and suffer from two risk factors for diet related chronic disease, such as obesity, being overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of disease, are awarded a season-long “prescription for produce—-a weekly assortment of enough garden-fresh produce to feed that person’s family for seven days.

Read more about the exciting garden expansion.