Our Mission

TFFJ fights food insecurity and diet-related disease through school-based, youth-led hydroponic farming, providing local, sustainably-grown produce to food desert communities and building health equity for all New Yorkers and beyond.

Our Board

Co-Founders

Chana Chenfeld

Co-Founder, Vice Chair & Vice President

Katherine Soll

Chief Executive Officer/Founder

Tara Swibel

Co-Founder & Board Chair

Board of Directors

Alejandro Muñoz-Suárez

Chief Operating Officer, Gracious Hospitality

Bridget Alameda

Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Secretary

Henry Gordon-Smith

CEO & Founder, Agritecture

Katie Seawell

Chief Commercial Officer, Bowery Farming

Kevin Beardsley

Treasurer, Senior Director, Corporate Development (M&A), Nasdaq

Ramel Bradley

Community Director & Co-founder of AppHarvest

Randolph Stern

President, Sternvest Capital

Teresa Tsou

Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer, Pipcorn

Valerie Soll

Textile Conservator, Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Adjunct Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology

Our Team

Aliya Brown

Senior Communications & Content Manager

Alyssa Gardner-Vazquez

Senior Farmer-Educator

Amanda Everich

Curriculum Development & Program Assistant

Christine Mastorides

District Partner Farmer-Educator

Connor Gorsira

Farm Operations Manager

Danna Creager

Senior Development Manager

Ezra Orlinsky

Unison Farmer-Educator & Farm Assistant

Gabrielle Mosquera

Deputy Director

Harrison Hillier

Senior Hydroponic Systems Manager

Ja’keia Person

District Partner Farmer-Educator

Jeorgina Williams

District Partner Farmer-Educator

Jessenia Preciado

Far Rockaway Regional Coordinator

Mariah Middlebrooks

District Partner Farmer-Educator

Matthew Horgan

STEM Programming & School Partnership Manager

Mo Urzola Tellez

Hydroponics Systems Coordinator

Rabia Rafique

District Partner Farm Assistant

Renae Cairns

Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager

Our Supporters

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#throwbackthursday to the Master Chef Omelette Cha

#throwbackthursday to the Master Chef Omelette Challenge over at the Far Rockaway Educational Campus! Students had a ton of fun making omelettes topped with fresh ingredients from the farm like Basil and Cilantro.

#YouthEmpowerment #FoodEducation #NYCTeens #FoodInsecurityAwareness #hydroponicgarden #hydroponicsystem #harvest #garden #farm #education #bethechange #STEM #HydroponicFarm #Hydroponic #farmtotable #FarmFresh #communityengagement #community #foodjustice #FoodJusticeNYC #urbanagriculture #foodsecurity #foodinsecurity #foodsystems

Yesterday, @nycmayor Eric Adams unveiled the Food

Yesterday, @nycmayor Eric Adams unveiled the Food Education Roadmap! We were thrilled to join the Mayor, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Food Policy Kate MacKenzie, Council Member @galeabrewer, @NYCSchools Chancellor David C. Banks, and countless advocates and supporters for this tremendous announcement.

“This roadmap and the strategies articulated by the mayor, the chancellor, and the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy to boost food education and healthy food access for our public school students and their families who are most at-risk of experiencing the multiple negative outcomes of an unhealthy diet, and to center this work within our schools, comes at a key moment for our city and its recovery from the COVID pandemic,” said Katherine Soll, CEO and founder, Teens for Food Justice. “This roadmap takes critical steps towards equipping our next generation with not only the tools and resources to live longer, healthier, more productive lives but, also with the knowledge and skills to build a thriving food economy that will ensure that all New Yorkers have access to and understanding of affordable, healthy food, the central tenet of Teens for Food Justice’s mission. It recognizes the relationship between a well-fed child and their academic potential as well as the centrality of schools as community hubs for accessing healthy food and nutrition information. Teens for Food Justice eagerly looks forward to the role it can play through its school-based farms, which currently grow nearly 40,000 pounds of fresh produce for our students and communities annually, and connected STEM, work-based learning, health/nutrition, and advocacy programming in schools, in supporting the mayor’s and chancellor’s goals through this roadmap.”

Visit our #linkinbio for the full press release!

#education #programming #students #food #school #nutrition #schools #health

The #GoodFoodNY Bill just passed the Senate!! The

The #GoodFoodNY Bill just passed the Senate!! The next few days are HUGE to get it through the Assembly. 📞⚡️Can you bring your CALL-IN DAY ENERGY today??⚡️📞 The NYS Assembly needs to hear what a huge deal #GoodFoodNY is for New York State. Shifting millions in public dollars beyond "lowest bidder" contracts will open more access to smaller and mid-sized operations, #BIPOC food producers—supporting relationships that are better for workers, animals, and the planet.

We're talking millions of meals every year going to schools, hospitals, senior centers, shelters, child care centers, and correctional facilities thanks to leadership from @senatormichellehinchey, @senatorlizkrueger, and @crystal_d_peoplesstokes. This is MAJOR. Don't sleep on this, make a quick call TODAY! Be sure your assembly member knows how much this bill means for New York and their constituents. Flex that civic muscle: link up @goodfoodcities

Visit our #linkinbio to learn more!

In its second year of grant-giving, @impact100nycn

In its second year of grant-giving, @impact100nycnextgen awarded $7,000 to TFFJ! nextgen gives teens hands-on social impact experience with the aim of them becoming life-long philanthropists. Teens work together to review grant applications and raise funding for grant awards.

TFFJ is incredibly grateful for nextgen's support of our mission to end food insecurity in one generation, through high-capacity hydroponic farming. @impact100nyc

Visit our #linkinbio to read the full press release!

#hydroponicgarden #hydroponicsystem #harvest #garden #farm #education #bethechange #STEM #HydroponicFarm #Hydroponics #farmtotable #FarmFresh #community #foodjustice #FoodJusticeNYC #urbanagriculture #foodsecurity #foodinsecurity #foodsystems

Happy Pride Month, TFFJ community! Although we ho

Happy Pride Month, TFFJ community!

Although we honor this month with triumphant celebration, we cannot ignore the startling impact of food insecurity on the LGBTQ+ community.

A 2020 report from the Williams Institute reported that 27% of LGBTQ+ folks across the United States are currently facing food insecurity. According to a 2022 Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey (HPS), LGBTQ+ adults experienced higher rates of food and housing insecurity than non-LGBTQ+ adults in 2022.

For a list of LGBTQ+ led farms that you can support that are aiming to end food insecurity in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond, head over to our #linkinbio!

#pride #LGBTQ #harvest #garden #farm #education #bethechange #STEM #HydroponicFarm #Hydroponics #farmtotable #FarmFresh #community #foodjustice #FoodJusticeNYC #urbanagriculture #foodsecurity #foodinsecurity #foodsystems

Let us know what you think! If you've been impact

Let us know what you think!

If you've been impacted by our work and would like to share your story, visit our #linkinbio to complete a brief survey!

#testimony #testimonial #hydroponicgarden #hydroponicsystem #harvest #garden #farm #education #bethechange #STEM #HydroponicFarm #Hydroponics #farmtotable #FarmFresh #community #foodjustice #FoodJusticeNYC #urbanagriculture #foodsecurity #foodinsecurity #foodsystems

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