Feeding Newburgh

We are committed to ensuring that all Newburgh residents—especially those facing hunger, limited transportation, or health challenges—have access to fresh, local, and culturally meaningful food.

Through Downing Park Urban Farm, a two‑acre urban farm in the heart of the city, NUFFI grows thousands of pounds of organic produce each year on land remediated for safe food production.

Approximately 80% of the farm’s harvest is donated, supplying a network of food pantries, congregation‑based meal programs, and senior housing sites across Newburgh. Annual farm donations have grown from about 2,000 pounds before 2019 to a high of 4,700 pounds by 2025, reaching an estimated 7,800 people each month through partner programs.

NUFFI also aggregates food from regional farms to strengthen the city’s emergency food system.

How is NUFFI feeding Newburgh?

  • Growing and donating thousands of pounds of fresh produce annually, with plans to exceed 10,000 pounds per year

  • Supplying seven or more food pantries and meal programs across the city

  • Delivering food directly to elders, homebound residents, and people without cars

  • Growing culturally preferred crops such as amaranth, epazote, okra, tomatillos, and papalo

  • Accepting SNAP and WIC to make fresh food more accessible

Grounded in community research showing that 34% of Newburgh households experience hunger, Feeding Newburgh strengthens both immediate food access and long‑term food system resilience.