Current and former students from Newburgh Free Academy are providing the community with healthy vegetables from the “Our Core” community garden.
Newburgh Enlarged City School District teacher Christine Hutchinson and her students have been working to maintain the community garden located in front of the Dutch Reformed Church. The garden provides fresh, local produce to the Newburgh community.
Hutchinson is also a volunteer with the Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative (NUFFI), which is a group that organizes a partnership between organizations and individuals in the City of Newburgh to ensure fresh food is available to all.
The NFA students were recently stationed in the courtyard of the Newburgh Free Library with a table full of the harvest as well as fresh flowers.
Last Thursday, Newburgh’s new Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jackielynn Manning Campbell stopped to visit the students and praise their efforts for being the change they want to see in their community. The students explained to the Superintendent what it takes to maintain the “Our Core” community garden and how their journey began. They also discussed the importance of having healthy alternatives for their community.
NUFFI is also proud to be a central part of Newburgh’s emergency food response. Since June 2020, NUFFI has donated between 90 and 250 pounds of fresh, local produce to pantries and emergency food services every week. They continue to donate the bulk of their urban farm harvests to feed community members for as long as needed.
The NUFFI team will be stationed in front of the Newburgh Free Library every Thursday, 11:30AM – 1:00PM throughout the summer with fresh produce for families of the Newburgh community to bring home and enjoy.
