CM Ariola Dishes Out Fresh Produce

By Katie McFadden

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” Councilwoman Joann Ariola said amid a giveaway of fresh produce at her Rockaway office on Wednesday, April 22.

The giveaway was one of five throughout the week across District 32, with additional distributions in Glendale, Woodhaven, Ozone Park and Howard Beach. At each stop, about 200 boxes full of fresh apples, kale, potatoes, carrots, broccoli and celery were given to constituents. The initiative was made possible through discretionary funding allocated through Councilwoman Ariola for GrowNYC’s Food for Families project.

GrowNYC’s Food for Families project highlights the ongoing need for fresh food access as food costs rise and ongoing SNAP reductions continue to impact New Yorkers. The project provides fresh, regionally sourced food to New York City communities facing increased food insecurity. Powered by GrowNYC’s Wholesale Food Hub in Hunts Point, Bronx—a 300+ partner distribution network that has moved over 25 million pounds of regional food since 2013—enables GrowNYC to serve more New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity by providing food and sustaining regional farmers’ access to the NYC market.

Ariola said the giveaway was a resounding success. “It was so well received and so necessary. People don’t understand there is food insecurity even in areas where one wouldn’t think there is, but we do have a lot of constituents that suffer from not being able to make ends meet, especially at the table,” she said.

Councilwoman Ariola has hosted GrowNYC produce distributions each year she’s been in office, in addition to holiday meal giveaways throughout the year. “I’m so happy to be able to do this for our constituents. It makes me very happy to let them see how their tax dollars are being spent and this is one of the ways,” she said. “I want to know that people are eating well. I want to make sure that children are getting vegetables and not eating pizza for breakfast. I can put my head on my pillow at night knowing that we provided good meals over the holidays, fresh produce and good meals throughout the year for our constituents to make sure they don’t go without.”