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

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 Harlem Grown. 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.

On this episode, Sandra Lindsay 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.

Podcast transcript

This is Part 3 of a series on Food as Health. Parts 1 and 2 are in our feed.

• Part 1: Food as health: Making hospital food heal
• Part 2: Food insecurity: How Northwell is helping

Watch episodes of 20-Minute Health Talk on YouTube. 

Have an idea about how a vacant property could serve the community? Learn more about the process to acquire public property, such as empty lots in your neighborhood.