Clients Worry They'll Go Hungry As Bed Stuy Rescue Mission Faces Foreclosure
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For more than a decade, the people behind the Bed Stuy farm have been helping Brooklynites in need eat healthier.
Now, they're facing foreclosure.
They are in need of some help and time is ticking.
The farm is barren now, but in-season there's a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Now, there's a threat that there won't be another season. The Brooklyn Rescue Mission Urban Harvest Center which runs the grounds is broke.
"We usually get funding from individuals, we didn't get enough funding last year," co-founder Rev. Robert Jackson said.
Reverend Robert Jackson started the non-profit group with his wife.
They used their urban farm to grow fresh produce for Brooklynites in need. They've also set up a pantry for non-perishable items that the city helps pay for.
"We are one of the groups in Brooklyn that led the charge for food justice," he said
Last year they served almost half-a-million meals, but now the group has hit a financial wall.
"We only have a limited amount of time, and it has to be liquid," co-founder Devanie Jackson said.
Even with city funding, they can't make their next mortgage payment and will b forced to close both their pantry and farm at the end of the month is they don't raise the money.
The owners are fearful of what will happen to their clients if they shut down.
"The increasing rents of Brooklyn are making seniors come to our door, and struggle between how they are going to eat as well as dealing with their rent and medical bills," Jackson said.
Esther Buckram is a retiree working part-time. She lives on a fixed income and needs the center to get by.
"I only get $15 a month food stamps, so this has really, really been helping my budget. It's been putting a meal in my stomach every day," she said.
The Bed Stuy farm has been serving the community for 14 years and organizers say they've had some scares in the past, but never like this.
"We are hoping and we are believing that people care about fresh food and servicing people in need," Jackson said.