Support Teen Farm Programs and Hurricane Ida Relief at the Wyckoff Farmhouse

This summer, the Wyckoff House Museum is looking to expand our COMPOST SYSTEM & keep our URBAN FARM running. Now more than ever we want to make sure we continue to provide our community with fresh, low-cost produce at our weekly farm stand, increase our capacity to accept food scraps to process and divert from the waste steam, and maintain our surrounding garden space for the public to safely enjoy the outdoors. We will be doing this alongside the return, at full capacity, of our teen Garden Apprentice Program (GAP), which gives youth from the surrounding area the opportunity to gain experience growing food and develop meaningful relationships with community members through managing our weekly farm stand and public skill sharing workshops.

1. Welcome to the Farm: On-board our 4 teen GAPs (Garden Apprentices) to the Wyckoff Farm and begin working together.
2. Plant, Plant Plant: Learn the ins and outs of cultivating, harvesting, and managing compost throughout the season.
3. Helping Hands: Support GAPs so they can manage weekly farm stands and lead public volunteer skill sharing events.
4. Increase Our Capacity: Build new Compost bins to handle an increase of food scrap drop offs and host compost education programs for children and adults.
5. Keep It Moving: Continue to host weekly farm stands, with low-cost produce options via Fresh Food Boxes, and donating produce to local community partners for those in need.
6. Cultivate and Maintain: Throughout the growing season we will be working to keep the farm in good shape -- sow, reap, and repeat!

Even though the city is slowly returning to "normal" following COVID-19, we are still grappling with food access and environmental justice issues that will continue beyond the pandemic. 

• Our local district, Brooklyn #17, is one of the most food insecure communities in New York City (ranking at fifth lowest out of 51) with a resounding 29% of households qualifying as "food insecure" according to recent research by the Food Bank of New York City. 
• Composting helps divert organic materials from the waste stream and reduce the impact of greenshouse gasses, which makes our communities cleaner and healthier.
• Developing meaningful youth programs for teens helps give them essential job and farming skills.

Following our Farming for our Community campaign, we were able to create a sense of community and connection on our farm while we were growing produce for our neighbors in need during a difficult time. This year, we want to expand our operations and build deeper investment to better serve our community.