The holiday season is here, and at the iconic Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx, N.Y., that means gearing up for its annual Hunts Point Gives Back week of Thanksgiving donations, followed by additional produce donations through the end of the year.
This philanthropic initiative has evolved over time with the goal of maximum impact, Gabriela D'Arrigo, vice president of communications and marketing for D'Arrigo New York, told The Packer. Prior to COVID-19, the annual effort involved each of the companies at Hunts Point donating produce that was then distributed at a nearby park in the Bronx in advance of Thanksgiving.
“People would come to us from all over New York to collect these bags of produce donated for Thanksgiving, and we knew we needed to have a bigger effect and reach more people, but we just weren't sure how we were going to do that,” said D'Arrigo, who also sits on the Hunts Point Produce Market public relations advisory board.
When COVID-19 hit, Hunts Point began partnering with local politicians and city officials from New York's five boroughs to extend its produce reach.
“We wanted to help all of New York and not just focus on the Bronx,” she said. “So, now we use all of those lines of communication and doors that opened during COVID to meet the needs of a larger community.”
D'Arrigo says each company at Hunts Point participates in giving back, and each company also donates a different produce item or two to create a traditional Thanksgiving meal with multicultural flair.
“We try to put a couple of different items that lean either towards the Hispanic community or towards Jamaican community or another community, depending on what borough they're in,” she said. “We try to meet the demographics of that community and add different items that give them a taste of home so they don't feel so far away.”
Hunts Point then works with the different borough presidents, city council members and community volunteers to pack and deliver the Thanksgiving produce to different locations throughout New York City.
“We try to promote the event as much as possible, and people will come to that location in that borough to get free produce. It's much more efficient than what we were doing,” she said.
Hunts Point's holiday charitable contributions are part of the market's more than 15 million pounds of produce it donates annually to people in need.
Moving forward
Hunts Point Produce Market occupies a 112-acre campus in the Bronx, comprising approximately 30 merchants. It moves more than 2.5 billion pounds of produce sourced from 49 states and 55 countries each year.
But for years, the produce powerhouse that keeps New York and the surrounding area fed has been in need itself.
While Hunts Point's nearly 60-year-old campus, with an aging infrastructure, has received nearly $400 million in funding since 2022, additional funding is needed to fully modernize.
It's a torch that Nicholas Rodelli, Hunts Point Produce Market's former general manager, has picked up once again. Earlier this year, he resumed his role with the market, following the departure of former CEO Phillip Grant.
“We are still moving forward,” said D'Arrigo. “We've got Nick Rodelli back, and we continue to communicate with the city in terms of the market being either renovated or rebuilt. I think we're leaning more towards a renovation, which would be great because we want to stay put.
“We're making progress there, and it looks like we're going to be able to move forward where everybody's happy,” she continued.
Many of the companies at Hunts Point — all of which rent their facilities from the city — have invested their own money to make improvements to the aging campus.
Among its many improvements, D'Arrigo New York recently updated its internal warehouse management systems.
“It's really brought us into a modern age of technology in terms of traceability with products within our warehouse, understanding what our inventory is, and being able to put orders together in a more accurate and efficient way,” said D'Arrigo.
It's all part of keeping the fresh produce heart of New York, and the surrounding area, beating.
D'Arrigo points to Hunts Point Produce Market's role as a centralized produce hub for the scores of small independents in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as a key reason to remain at its current location.
As to the additional funding, D'Arrigo says, “It would be a huge nod from the city to recognize that, yes, we are essential and we are important to the livelihood — really the survival — of the city.”
