NEW YORK—Loaded with three big bags of fruits and vegetables, Susan Zanet got a good deal this Wednesday. Straight from a farm and only $10 for a whole bag? She would have paid double in a supermarket. And so she would rather pick up her greens while picking up her granddaughter at her local preschool.
Since July the city’s Health Department has piloted a program in 11 preschools offering gardening curriculum, cooking demonstrations, and farm produce pick-up.
One Wednesday you order and pay, the next Wednesday you pick up. “It makes our food dollars go further,” Zanet said.
Even though she can’t predict what’s going to be packed in the next bag, it’s usually something useful, Zanet said. This week’s special was a pack of oatmeal.
“I’m allergic to a lot of pesticides that they put in foods,” Zanet said. While veggies from a supermarket make her throat swell, she has no problem eating the ones from the preschool.
