Improving Food Access in East Flatbush Through a Community Partner Coalition in New York City (NYC)

The objective of this study is to implement and evaluate a pilot intervention to improve access to food and overall diet quality in East Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. This will be achieved through implementation of a tailored, client-choice pantry model pilot intervention among up to 100 individuals in which local, fresh produce is provided to participants on a weekly basis for 20 weeks. This project is a partnership between NYU and five community-based organizations (CBOs) and is the result of multi-year formative research with the partners and community. The pantry program will be evaluated using surveys and an objective measure of fruit and vegetable intake (i.e., skin carotenoid assessment via the Veggie Meter) at the start and end of the 20-week program. Through this pre-post evaluation, the investigators will assess the impact of the program on food security (primary outcome) as well as on fruit and vegetable intake and social connection (secondary outcomes). The findings will inform future implementations of client-choice pantry models by community-based organizations across New York City.

Inclusion criteria

• Adult at least 18 years old
• Able to complete the surveys in English or Haitian Creole
• Able to travel to Brooklyn Center for Quality Life in East Flatbush weekly to pick up the no-cost fresh vegetables
• Willing and able to provide informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Those not meeting the above inclusion criteria