In 2023, composting programs in NYC were defunded or shut down. However, Pleasant Village is committed to
transforming food waste into growth: Uniting Our Community for Sustainable Change.
Leader
Kim Yim
Location
342 Pleasant Ave . New York, NY 10035
Dear friends,
We are seeking funding to build a third hot box system to continue our efforts and expand our capacity. With three bins, we can have a continuous production cycle, ensuring the most efficient use of time and resources throughout each cycle. Additionally, we also need volunteers to help process food scraps every Wednesday and Sunday at 1 pm.
We are thrilled to share that thanks to your previous donations, we were able to successfully crowdfund the first two hot boxes, which have made a tremendous impact. Since the start of the pandemic, we have processed over 20 tons of food scraps and organic waste!
Unfortunately, we have encountered a setback recently. Due to budget cuts, the city's food scrap collection pick-up service has been shut down. This has made it extremely difficult for us to handle the amount of intake without the city taking sustainable waste management seriously. We relied on our partnership with LESEC to alleviate the overflow of food scraps we couldn't process, but their shutdown has become even more challenging. Despite this setback, we are determined not to let all our hard work and valuable resources "go to waste." We understand first-hand how these budget cuts disproportionately impact communities like East Harlem, and we will not let this injustice deter us.
We kindly ask for your generous donations to help us achieve this goal. Contributing to our fundraising campaign will empower us to take control of our future. Your support will continue our vital work in creating a greener and more just future for our community.
Your support means the world to us. As a collective spirit, we can make a lasting impact.
Thank you for considering our request and for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Kim Yim
President of the Pleasant Village Community Garden
Our goal with this project is to continue the development of food scrap collection and composting in NYC. The added benefits from programs affect us all, and ultimately, as citizens living in one of the largest populated cities, we should be taking more responsibility for today's waste management.
Through city and state funding, numerous programs, events, and projects were organized, and through educational materials and hands-on training, the funding allowed us to develop a growing composting program.
However, as we have seen time and time again, our experience in underserved communities offers assistance and support for projects to increase capacity, and the outcome is every couple of years, funding is cut, or land is taken away. These actions of political convenience quickly turn from public assistance to an attack on underserved communities. We are tired of seeing all the hard work before these changes in our community go to waste. What takes months, even years, to get approval for funding is taken away so swiftly and abruptly. We have spent the past four years educating and growing composting programs all over Manhattan and the other boroughs. And our mission is to keep it going.