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

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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Have you ever heard the saying that you should tal

Have you ever heard the saying that you should talk to your plants to help them grow? Well, our students over at the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus recently put a twist on that saying by writing encouraging messages to their plants!

Whoever is out there cutting onions, please stop it right now because this one hit us right in our feels. 😭

Sometimes we all just need a little extra TLC, so here's your Thursday reminder to "never stop growing, shine bright, and grow big."

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

Teens for Food Justice was recently awarded a gran

Teens for Food Justice was recently awarded a grant from @greenmtnenergy Sun Club® for the 2023 launch of the TFFJ farm at the Murry Bergtraum Campus in Manhattan!

The generous donation of $148,000 will support the farm inclusive of all equipment, environmental controls and more. The projected poundage of produce for this farm is 8,845 lbs/year!

This is the second donation by @greenmtnenergy Sun Club®. The previous award supported the launch of a hydroponic farm at the DeWitt Clinton Educational Campus in the Bronx in 2017.

We couldn't be more grateful to grow our partnership and to further our mission of ending food insecurity once and for all.

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

It's #funfactfriday, so let's talk Ladybugs! Lady

It's #funfactfriday, so let's talk Ladybugs!

Ladybugs are a cost-friendly, pest control solution. Ladybugs are great at controlling aphid populations, and they eat scale bugs, mites, some small caterpillars, beetles, and even the eggs and larvae of other insects. Ladybugs are the natural predator of some of the most common garden pests, many of which can do a lot of damage to produce.

Did you learn something new? Leave us a "🐞" in the comments!

#ICYMI: Checkout our previous post about Green Lacewings!

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

Did you know? Even hydroponic farms need pest cont

Did you know? Even hydroponic farms need pest control!

Awhile back, interns from @goodshepherdnyc helped us to release green lacewing (aka “soldier bugs”) eggs into the TFFJ farm at the DeWitt Clinton Educational Campus!

Green Lacewings are a Natural Biological Control Agent and 'pest predator' against aphids, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, mealybugs, small caterpillars, eggs of leafhoppers, moths, and leafminers, small caterpillars and beetle larva and other insects that feed on produce.

Another type of Natural Biological Control Agent and 'pest predator' is the ladybug! More to come on ladybugs in the next post. 😉

Did you learn something new? Leave us a "🐛" below in the comments if you did!

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

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a profound social j

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a profound social justice leader. During his 1964 acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King noted the importance of ending hunger, a goal that was deeply engrained into the launch of his Poor People’s Campaign.

Today, we honor his legacy by striving to ensure that all people are able to lead lives of dignity and respect, with equal access to fundamental, and basic human rights like healthy food, affordable housing, the right to employment, education and more.

What are some ways you've honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Let us know in the comments!

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

#FlashbackFriday to Enrichment students at @uaunis

#FlashbackFriday to Enrichment students at @uaunison making a 6-part salad! Students had a lot of fun during their group's final lesson and last day on the farm!

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

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