Adelphi Connection to the launch of area farmers market

Thursday, June 6, 2013 Teachers Federal Credit Union (TFCU) launched a locally-grown farmers market for the summer at its Hauppauge headquarters. The program was inspired by Adelphi University,  Dr. Sarah Eichberg‘s work on food insecurity on Long Island.

“Food insecurity is growing, especially as incomes are stagnating or declining,” Dr. Eichberg, of Adelphi University, said.

TFCU is located within a federally designated food desert, which is defined as a district with little or no access to fresh and affordable food needed to maintain a nutritious diet. A report by Dr. Eichberg, “The Truth and the Facts: Food Inequality on Long Island” which was detailed in Newsday soon after it was published focused on three Suffolk communities with barriers to healthful, affordable food. According to Dr. Eichberg’s research, countless Long Islanders do not have access to fresh produce and other nutritious fare because of a wide-range of challenges including low-income, excessive area housing costs, insufficient safety net support, community resource scarcity, and political dispassion and transportation limitations. As a result, food banks have become vital lifelines in these communities.

Dr. Eichberg writes: Long Island is a region of food haves and food have-nots. This divide has been exacerbated by the Great Recession; leaving more than 300,000 residents in food poverty, uncertain whether they will be able eat an adequate amount of nutritious food each day. For these individuals, the pressures of daily life are often draining and overwhelming, posing significant threats to physical and mental well-being. In the face of such need, the creation of successful, cost- efficient strategies to address food insufficiency is one of our region’s most critical challenges.

Also on site for the launch of the summer farmers market was Adelphi University Alum, Suffolk County Legislator John M. Kennedy, Jr., MBA ’84. Legislator Kennedy identified Suffolk County as the region generating the most income in New York State from farm industry.

The farmers market will run every Thursday from 7:30am – 1:00pm, through August 29, and features fresh produce and locally made artisan foods as well as ready-to-eat items; it is located at 102 Motor Parkway in Hauppauge – in close proximity to Adelphi University’s Hauppauge Center.