Harvest Festivals Celebrate Fall Fun with Safety in Mind

With a range of health and safety protocols in place, the Harvest Festivals at NYCHA’s farms delivered another season of fall-themed family fun this October.  

The free events provided the NYCHA community with pumpkin carving/decorating, arts and crafts, as well as music, potato sack races, and a variety of healthy snacks.  

A total of 435 visitors, including more than 250 children, participated in the festivities at five Farms at NYCHA sites. The urban farms are operated by NYCHA’s partner Green City Force (GCF) – which trains NYCHA youth for green jobs – at Howard Houses, Wagner Houses, Forest Houses, Bay View Houses, and Mariner’s Harbor Houses. The Forest and Wagner festivals were celebrated on Halloween, with mask designing among the featured activities.

A variety of COVID-19 protocols were in place this season to ensure the health and safety of attendees, including social distancing, enforcement of mask wearing, and disinfecting of shared spaces and items. Visitors were also asked to undergo health screenings and temperature checks at entrances. 

In addition to the fun activities, the Harvest Festivals helped distribute some of the produce that is grown by GCF at the farms, which also serve as eco-hubs promoting sustainability and health. Since April, GCF members have harvested and distributed more than 20,000 pounds of produce, welcomed over 2,000 visitors to the sites, and collected nearly 400 pounds of organics.