Red Hook Initiative
Red Hook Houses Farms
The Red Hook Houses Farm, commonly referred to as Wolcott Farm, was created in 2013 through a partnership involving Green City Force, the Mayor’s Office, and the NYC Housing Authority. The 1.1-acre farm nestled in the Red Hook West Houses hosts production beds, a Garden Club, and free produce distribution for NYCHA residents.
Community Food Access
At the free Thursday Farm Stand at Red Hook Houses Farm, NYCHA Red Hook Houses residents can access fresh, locally grown produce right in their neighborhood. Live cooking demonstrations also offer simple, seasonal ways to prepare just-picked ingredients at home.
Garden Club
A third of Wolcott farm is dedicated to the Garden Club, an ethnically-diverse group of resident farmers who grow their own vegetables, herbs, and flowers in 24 raised beds. We support them with tools, seeds, and seedlings and they bring with them a ton of creativity and eclectic invention as they trellised, terraced, and intercropped their way to a bountiful harvest.
Food Resources for Red Hook Residents:
We are Red Hook Initiative, a community based nonprofit impacting the lives of over 6,500 residents of Red Hook, Brooklyn. Together, we can create change from within.
Who We Are
At Red Hook Initiative (RHI) we believe that social change to overcome systemic inequities begins with empowered youth. In partnership with community adults, we nurture young people in Red Hook to be inspired, resilient and healthy, and to envision themselves as co-creators of their lives, community and society.
What We Do
Youth development, community building and community hiring are at the core of our approach to strengthening Red Hook’s future. RHI’s model gives young people and residents the tools, resources and opportunities they need to interrupt the systems and barriers that perpetuate historic inequities for the Red Hook community. Residents lead the way toward a more equitable, hopeful future.
Why It Matters
RHI confronts generations of institutional racism and inequity. We serve Brooklyn’s largest public housing community with a model that prioritizes youth and residents needs first.
“I’ve been eating more vegetables… Now I have to have cabbage or cucumber or lettuce, tomatoes on the side. But I never did that before.”
— Food as Medicine participant
