Ditmars Youthmarket (QueensPost)
Aug. 2, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
A youth greenmarket has opened for the fourth season in Ditmars Park promoting the sale of fresh produce for yet another year.
The youthmarket, located on Steinway Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard, has been open since July 13 and is operating every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Nov. 23.
The market, which is operated by Grow NYC and is similar to the organization’s chain of Greenmarkets, provides residents with access to locally grown heathy produce. However, the market is run by younger people who gain business experience operating a farm stand.
The market features one stall that offers produce from local farms and bakeries.
The youthmarket was set up by the local Friends of Ditmars Park in conjunction with Grow NYC and the office of Council Member Costa Constantinides, who partially funded the project.
“I am proud to fund and support the Ditmars Park Youthmarket, which provides both fresh, locally sourced produce for our community as well as leadership experience for our neighborhood youth,” said Constantinides.
“Just recently I met with some of these future leaders when I took part in a cooking demonstration and cannot believe how much this market has flourished in the last three years. I encourage Astoria residents to pay it a visit any Saturday through the fall and look forward to seeing it grow.”
Aside from setting up the Youthmarket, Friends of Ditmars Park also works with Partnerships for Parks, Community Board 1, and local politicians to clean and maintain the park, provide renovations, and create events to build a sense of community in the area.
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4 Comments
Love this!
I wish he would send more people to clean up the park. So many people from the Astoria Blvd/Steinway crowd, Westway Motel Shelter, homeless from Ditmars Station and some locals use that park.
Could not agree more. And not just the park, but Ditmars Blvd, which from Steinway to 31st street by the train, is a pitiful lump of garbage on some weekdays. But he won’t do it, because it’s not sexy enough for him politically.
I was at the park this weekend with my children and I think I got high from all the weed being smoked. There were five male adults sitting by the picnic tables and they were all were smoking. I called 911 and they told me to call 311 and file a report. I tried to get the other parents to call but most seemed like they did not want to get involved or told me they do not speak English.