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New York, NY -- New York City area residents and workers can look
forward to expanded online access to locally grown and produced
foods from New York farmers and other regional producers and opportunities
to learn about and visit local farmers and producers virtually,
thanks to a $160,000 United States Department of Agriculture's
(USDA) Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant from the
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The award was made to EscapeMaker.com
and Fulton Stall Market and announced last month as one of 48
funded
projects nationwide.
The USDA AMS FMPP grant will enable EscapeMaker.com,
a local agritourism, and online travel guide, to work with its
partner the Fulton Stall Market,
a nonprofit farmers market located in a historic building at the
South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan, to upgrade the market's
website, add online ordering of local farm and food products,
host virtual farm tours, food demonstrations and educational workshops
by regional farmers, food and craft beverage producers. The online
enhancement will enable the market to reach and engage nearby
Lower Manhattan residents and other New Yorkers working from home
in learning about and buying local foods available at the market
and in visiting local farmers and producers online and in person.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member
of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
said "this USDA funding is great news for EscapeMaker and
the Fulton Stall Market, whose partnership supports over 100 local
farmers and producers across New York State. As our communities
rebuild from the economic fallout caused by the pandemic, I will
continue to fight for funding in the Senate to help boost and
revitalize our unique agritourism economy. It's a top priority
to ensure New Yorkers can safely access healthy local produce."
Stephen Dima, President of the nonprofit Fulton Market Association,
Inc. said, "The Fulton Stall Market is excited to receive
this timely grant award from the USDA AMS under the Farmers Market
Promotion Program to help us expand direct marketing and agritourism
connections for our local farmers and food producers to our many
customers in the growing Lower Manhattan community, and to New
Yorkers citywide. USDA's support will help our market strengthen
its role as a vital component of New York City's acclaimed farmers
public market system, and a vibrant destination in a revitalized
Seaport District."
 Since 2015, the Fulton Stall Market has
provided residents and workers in the Seaport District and Lower
Manhattan with convenient access to locally grown farm and food
products, supported farmers and small-scale food producers from
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and other states,
and helped revitalize the historic area devastated by Hurricane
Sandy with farmers market activity echoing its past as NYC's original
market district. The indoor market's country store at 91 South
St. has continued to operate during the pandemic. It offers the
community a full range of fresh and value-added local products
from participating farmers and producers, a four-season CSA (community
supported agriculture) program, and an in-house kitchen offering
a takeout menu of prepared foods made from the local farm products
in the market.
New
York City Council Member Margaret Chin said, "congratulations
to Fulton Stall Market and its partner EscapeMaker on receiving
this important USDA agritourism grant. In this digital age, an
online presence is absolutely necessary for businesses, including
New York farms. This funding will allow participating farms to
sell food directly to New Yorkers, as well as provide customers
with educational workshops. The Fulton Stall Market is such a
staple of the South Street Seaport, and this funding will help
them reach even more New Yorkers in need of fresh produce."
Under
the USDA AMS FMPP grant, EscapeMaker will help Fulton Stall Market
develop online marketing options to enable local food products
to be ordered directly from participating farms or for pickup
at the market. The grant will also support an online alternative
to the market's regular educational and agritourism programming.
From 2015 to 2019, programming included farm and food workshops
for families, school classes, consumers, and small-scale food
entrepreneurs, as well as an annual series of regional agritourism
promotional events held at the market's Sunday outdoor farmers
market on Pier 17 on
the Seaport District waterfront.
These
one-day agritourism events, produced by Fulton Stall Market and
EscapeMaker, were attended by thousands of New Yorkers and visitors
from the US and abroad. Events highlighted farms, local food and
craft beverages in upstate NY tourism regions ("Ithaca &
Finger Lakes Food & Craft Beverage Festival") ("Adirondacks
& 1000 Islands Festival"), major New York agricultural
products ("Applepalooza and Maple Fest"), and the culturally
diverse food vendors of New York City Public Markets ("Deck
the Stalls"/NYC EDC Public Market Showcases). Although large-scale
events are temporarily suspended, the USDA AMS FMPP grant will
enable the market's enhanced website to introduce many more NYC
consumers to local farmers and producers and local foods, online
on a daily basis.
EscapeMaker,
which since 2016 has hosted a special agritourism/local travel
kiosk inside the market to enable customers to learn about local
farms that welcome visitors, submitted the USDA AMS FMPP grant
in collaboration with the Fulton Stall Market. In addition to
helping the market add online sales and educational programming
to its website, EscapeMaker.com will highlight socially distanced
agritourism getaway ideas to help market shoppers plan educational
trips to local farms, food makers, and craft beverage producers
within a day's drive or train ride of New York City.
Caylin
Sanders, Founder & CEO of EscapeMaker.com,
said, "we're so honored to receive this award from the USDA
and AMS to support our partnership with the Fulton Stall Market
in linking city and country. It's an acknowledgment that investing
in agritourism increases farmers' and producers' incomes, improves
access to high-quality local foods, educates consumers about local
food and agriculture, and improves our environmental and public
health. It's especially affirming to receive this award as we
celebrate 20 years in business this year."
Consumers
can expect to see programming and services under the USDA AMS
FMPP grant roll out starting in Spring 2021. For more information,
see Fulton Stall Market's website at http://www.fultonstallmarket.org
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Funding for the Fulton Stall Market Online Food Sales, Workshops
& Local Agritourism Promotion was made possible by the US
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service
through USDA GRANT 13116454. Its contents are solely the responsibility
of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views
of the USDA.
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About Fulton Stall Market http://www.fultonstallmarket.org: Fulton Stall Market is
a community marketplace for local foods at 91 South St. NYC, connecting
farmers and producers with Lower Manhattan residents and workers.
Located in the historic district where the city's public markets
began in the 1700s, it's a first step toward the development of
a full-scale indoor public market featuring local farmers and
producers and their products, as well as educational programming
on food and agriculture and the Seaport District's colorful public
market history. The market is operated by the Fulton Market Association,
Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which in addition to
this USDA grant award, has received support from NYC Council Member
Margaret Chin, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, NYC Economic
Development Corporation, and South Street Seaport Limited Partnership/Howard
Hughes Corporation.
About EscapeMaker.com http://www.escapemaker.com: EscapeMaker's
mission is to inspire NYC residents to explore the farms, wineries,
craft beverage trails, and other agritourism destinations located
within a day's drive or train ride of the NYC metropolitan area,
lowering carbon footprints and supporting local food systems.
In business since 2000, the Emmy Award-winning, MWBE-certified
company produces events and online programming to inspire local
agritourism and sustainable travel across the Northeast. Focused
on promoting women-owned businesses, EscapeMaker will host the
first "Women in Food and Farming Festival" at Stone
Ridge Orchard in the Hudson Valley in 2021.
For
more info, contact:
Kash Barkeley
info@escapemaker.com
877-997-2726
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