The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has awarded $100,000 in vital funding to the Poughkeepsie Farm Project (PFP), an inner-city community farm on the grounds of Vassar College.

In announcing the funding administered by the DEC Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant Program, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said "we're providing funding to organizations to address the critical issue of public health concerns in communities across the state."  The PFP was one of twenty-eight organizations to receive money from the program.  Poughkeepsie Farm Project Executive Director Ray Armeter on the grant said "it allows us to continue our work educating, engaging and providing needed support in our community - and that is what we're most passionate about."

The funds will allow the PFP to expand their Poughkeepsie Gardens project significantly, offering workshops on cooking, gardening, composting and nutrition while also extending the duration of after-school garden clubs. The PFP is in its twentieth year and trains future farmers on sustainable farming practices and also serves healthy food to over six hundred households in the region through its Food Share and Community Supported Agriculture programs.  They also teach area youth, educators and the community in general where food comes from and why it matters.

For more information on the Poughkeepsie Farm Project visit www.farmproject.org

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