Corbin Hill Food Project spoke with Nando Rodriguez, Environmental Program Coordinator at BrosSis, one of Corbin Hill Food Project’s long-term partners.
Tell me a bit about the history of BroSis and Corbin Hill Food Project
The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) and Corbin Hill Farm relationship began over a decade ago when the executive of BroSis Khary Lazarre White and daughter of Corbin Hill Food Project’s founder and co- director Dennis Derryck both attended Brown University in Rhodel. As non-profit organizations with goals to help our black communities in NYC around food access, BroSis & Corbin Hill Farm found common ground to come together and collaborate.
Over the years, collaborations have included Corbin Hill Farm share distribution at the BroSis Green Youth Market for 5+ years, giving young people from NYC exposure to Schoharie County through a farm and college tour four times within the last 10 years, and lastly but not final BroSis and Corbin Hill Farm have begun conversations with local farmers of Schoharie County and farmers at Corbin Hill Farm to one day build a bridge where the BroSis Green Youth Market can sell farmer produce at the market and hopefully develop a retreat site on the farm for young people to camp out and do some farming tasks.
What’s the most exciting thing you’re working on right now?
Right now we are working on a few projects: Developing a new garden for a local community agency in their backyard space; Pushing a city-wide campaign to local officials and representatives to support with resources 5,000 Local Composting Sites for all NYC residents; Continuing to expand the BroSis Green Youth Market with engaging activities that bring more community visitors; We have new Greenhouse to fill with tropical, medicinal, and cooking spices; To create low ropes course in our community garden, Establish year-round active aquaculture in our existing garden; etc.
Why is it important for youth to learn about food justice?
It is important for young people to learn food justice because they already live in an injustice food access environment, and if left untold or uneducated they will continue to accept the injustice and teach their children to accept the injustice lifestyle building generations of people living and accepting a lower quality of life without the higher quality of fresh food.
Best advice for youth leaders?
My advice to youth is: to never decide not to experience something without experiencing it. And to never wait for opportunities to come knocking on your door. You should go knock on the doors of opportunity to experience progress and success.
What are 3 things can readers do to support Brosis right now?
You can support BroSis by paying us a visit and bringing your friends to help volunteer for a day in our community. We can also appreciate letters of support for Green Space development and composting sites.
Share your favorite experience of Corbin Hill Food Project
My favorite experience is going to a gathering at Dennis’s NYC apartment and trying his famous butternut squash soup; Also every time I visit the farm and see the animals.
Check out images from BroSis’s farm visit below!
Join us to celebrate the grand re-opening of our partner’s youth greenmarket and farm share site on Wednesday, May 18th from 11am-6pm at the Johnny Hartman Plaza in front of 140 Hamilton Pl, New York, NY 10031. The greenmarket will be open every Wednesday until Thanksgiving where you can purchase from the greenmarket or pick up your weekly Corbin Hill Farm Share.