April is Earth Month and here at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, we’re committed to improving our environmental impact and sustainable practices every day. This month, we want to highlight some of the ways in which we’re working towards a greener world.
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is committed to NYC’s Zero Waste by 2030 goal, hoping to become a waste-free soup kitchen in the next decade. To achieve this goal, we are putting into practice new green initiatives and are always looking for ways to be more sustainable.
Composting is one of the key ways we ensure that the Soup Kitchen is a sustainable entity. We compost food and paper products in brown bins, which are picked up by the Department of Sanitation. These bins are also used by the community including one of our food donors, Down to Earth Markets, at their Saturday Green Market in Chelsea.
Our COVID-19 grab-and-go hot meal program stays true to our zero-waste goal by using bio-degradable and environmentally friendly food containers instead of Styrofoam or plastic. For our weekly pantry program, guests take home their groceries in reusable bags rather than plastic or paper ones. Many guests return the bags to us each week to be used again.
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is also committed to growing food on our property. We plant vegetables in raised beds to be used in Soup Kitchen meals, and so that neighborhood participants can learn about nutrition, sustainability, and composting. We also raise bees on our roof and yield jars of honey.
In addition to everything we do on site at the Soup Kitchen, we also partner with local farms to source all our agricultural goods and procure produce, dairy, and protein donations for both our daily meal service program and our pantry program. We work with City Harvest and culinary figures throughout the city to reduce surplus food from grocery stores and restaurants. These partnerships allow us to serve those in need while reducing our carbon footprint and preventing unnecessary food waste.
Through these initiatives and more, Holy Apostles is committed to a greener future. Happy Earth Month!
