Fulfilling Hearts and Bellies Through Produce Parties: How Browning’s Helping to Tackle Food Insecurity

Students help bridge the gap between donations of fresh produce and community fridges in the Bronx. The school has worked with the founder of the nonprofit organization, Dan Zauderer, to tackle food insecurity in New York City

Written by Nicholas S. ‘24

Through upbeat “produce parties” every Saturday morning, Dan Zauderer, founder of the nonprofit organization Grassroots Grocery, has taken up the gauntlet of tackling food insecurity in New York City. Each Saturday morning, volunteers gather at 1957 Turnbull Avenue in the Bronx to unpack 10,000 pounds of produce and subsequently deliver it to community centers across the city.

However, Dan’s story began years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in September 2020.

“It started with my experience as a middle school teacher in the Bronx, in the American Dream School, while working with undocumented immigrants. A lot of the families there were dealing with food insecurities,” Dan said.

While the federal government instituted programs to provide food to those in need of resources during the pandemic, food remained inaccessible for many. According to USDA household food security data compiled by Statista, in 2020, 10.8% of all households were classified as “food insecure”, while 14.8% of households with children were also classified as “food insecure”.

The lack of food security and accessibility during the pandemic motivated Dan to take action against the ever-present crisis, and his job as a school teacher positioned him well to take initial steps against the problem. 

“At first I started raising money for basic food supplies, and then I heard about the idea of a community fridge from someone. After getting together with some other teachers, we started a community fridge in Mott Haven,” Dan said.

A community fridge operates through food donations from either individuals or food rescue organizations. Then, this food is given out to people experiencing food insecurity for free. Although Dan became heavily involved with community fridges, he envisioned doing more to attack the problem of food insecurity. 

“To advance my project, I reached out to the Hunts Point Produce Market, and that evolved to working with produce wholesalers in that market. I wanted to give out food boxes from these wholesalers containing leftovers, and repurpose it,” Dan said. 

After reaching an agreement, Dan proceeded to coordinate a collective effort to distribute the food received from the wholesalers.

While a speculative idea, Dan needed lots of volunteers to help him unpackage the food, and then deliver it directly to community centers. He immediately thought of asking schools, like Browning, if they wanted to participate in these produce parties.

Dan’s mission collided with Browning’s social impact work through a college connection with Browning’s Director of Equitable Practices and Social Impact, Naledi Semela. 

“In the summer of 2021, I received an email from a college student at Colgate University, which is where I also attended college. She was interning for a man named Daniel Zauderer, who had started an organization called, at the time, Mott Haven Fridge. I got in touch with Dan in August of 2021, and he taught me about community refrigerators and the organization,” Mr. Semela said.

Mr. Semela knew this service would be a great opportunity for Browning students across all divisions to engage in community service, and help better the world around them. Despite challenges brought on by scheduling, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Browning had its first produce party with Dan, and Grassroots Grocery in May 2022. 

However, Mr. Semela believes the fun and service should not stop there. This strong partnership has opened doors for both students and faculty in the Browning community to take part in new community activities. 

“Some of our boys have made trips to the local community refrigerator on the Upper East Side and in East Harlem. Eleven seniors spent a week in May studying food insecurity with Grassroots Grocery as part of their senior service project. They also visited the Hunts Point Produce Market, meeting with workers, volunteers, and community leaders to learn more about the world of food, and how to effectively distribute it. The faculty is also looking at opportunities to volunteer with Grassroots Grocery as well,” Mr. Semela said. 

Dan has also collaborated with schools across New York City, including Calhoun, Brearley, Riverdale, Marymount, and Trevor Day to help unpack produce and deliver it across the city. In total, Grassroots Grocery has had over 3,000 total volunteers at their produce parties, with over 770,000 pounds of fresh produce delivered across New York City.

However, Dan believes that there is much more work to be done, and there are many goals yet to be achieved. 

“A main goal of ours is how we can organize the Saturday morning produce parties at multiple locations across New York, at the same time. Additionally, we want to consistently fill up community fridges,” Dan said. 

Mr. Semela believes that these goals can be accomplished with the help of Browning community, while also helping students form tighter bonds in the midst of their mission to help their community. 

“I would love to see more social impact work that brings together younger and older boys as well as Browning families,” Mr. Semela said.

Dan Zauderer’s nonprofit organization Grassroots Grocery can provide many Browning students with a way to possibly impact those struggling with food insecurity, while members of the Browning community can help Dan in his ultimate goal of eradicating food insecurity across New York City through volunteering at produce parties and donations. 

“It’s exhausting and truly hard, but the people are truly amazing,” Dan said.