Food as opportunity: Breaking the cycle of poverty through urban farming

<p>Within a three-block radius of P.S. 175 in Harlem, there are 55 fast-food restaurants, 29 pharmacies and not one affordable food option, something Tony Hillery noticed while volunteering at the school more than a decade ago. He also saw an opportunity to help, which is why he launched <a href='https://www.harlemgrown.org/'>Harlem Grown</a>. Starting with one abandoned lot across the street from the school, Tony and the kids have built it into a network of 13 urban farms that harvest 6 tons (that's 3,000 lbs) of fresh, organically grown produce per year. The best part, the kids of P.S. 175, along with eight other Harlem schools, are the ones growing it — with help from their families and other community members.</p> <p>On this episode, <a href='https://www.northwell.edu/about/leadership/sandra-lindsay-dhsc-mba-msn-rn-ccrn-k-ne-bc'>Sandra Lindsay</a> visits Tony Hillery at one of these farms to learn more about the growth of this transformational non-profit, which is helping to revitalize a community with a great need — one kid at a time.</p> <p>This is Part 3 of a series on Food as Health. Parts 1 and 2 are in our feed.</p> <ul><li>Part 1: <a href='https://northwell.podbean.com/e/food-is-health-how-two-experts-made-hospital-food-delicious-nutritious/'>Food as health: Making hospital food heal</a></li> <li>Part 2: <a href='https://northwell.podbean.com/e/food-insecurity-how-northwell-is-helping/'>Food insecurity: How Northwell is helping</a></li> </ul> <p>Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOylAPfMBafmhQIwY75QbOzNcQEpz5tEr'>YouTube</a>. </p> Have an idea about how a vacant property could serve the community? <a href='https://www.nyc.gov/site/oercommunity/development/how-to-acquire-public-property.page'>Learn more</a> about the process to acquire public property, such as empty lots in your neighborhood.