Harvest: An RWJBarnabas Health Farm to Community Center
Coming December 2025
A collaboration between RWJBarnabas Health and Newark-based farm-to-city social enterprise Urban Agriculture Cooperative (UAC), Harvest aims to tackle the pressing issue of food insecurity and improve overall health outcomes for residents living in the Greater Newark area – where many residents lack consistent access to affordable, nutritious food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables – and beyond.
Centrally located in the historic Haynes Building in the heart of the Halsey Creative and Commercial Corridor in Downtown Newark, the space is designed to serve as a hub for community-driven initiatives to enhance access to fresh, healthy foods and comprehensive nutrition and wellness education, promoting overall health and well-being. Simultaneously, Harvest will support urban and rural Garden State growers, restauranteurs and other food business entrepreneurs, helping to strengthen the regional food economy.
This first-of-its-kind initiative takes an innovative, wholistic approach to addressing the root causes of food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease. Harvest features a farm-to-table food distribution center, commercial kitchen, healthy cooking education and demo spaces, as well as consultation, wellness and nutrition spaces – all under one roof.
Key Features of Harvest
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Farm-to-Table Distribution Center: Centralized hub used by UAC to store, package and distribute Jersey Fresh
produce, eggs, meats, and other foods to local food pantries, schools
and meal providers. Includes over 2,100 square feet of storage space with
walk-in refrigerators, freezers and a compost room to support sustainability.
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Buy Local: There is also an opportunity for anchor institutions and small-medium
sized corporations to procure fresh produce for their office/facility’s
dining needs, supporting local NJ farmers and maintaining year-round demand
for their products.
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Consultation and Wellness Offices: Designated meeting rooms for licensed dietitians and SNAP navigators,
offering services like healthy eating education, meal preparation guidance,
diabetic nutrition, and new mother and family support. Community health
workers can meet with residents to find providers, coordinate medical
appointments, and access transportation/other health services.
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Demo Kitchen & Café: Fully equipped kitchen for cooking demonstrations, nutrition education
classes, and lunch-and-learns. Serves local students, community groups,
and organizations through preregistered programs.
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Industrial Kitchen: State-of-the-art facility where local chefs, caterers, food entrepreneurs
and culinary students can reserve space through membership to enhance
their operations, support their businesses, and take advantage of training
opportunities.
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Hire Local: In addition to small business development for minority, women and veteran-owned
restauranteurs/entrepreneurs, the hub promotes job creation within the
space and surrounding businesses.
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Office and Meeting Space: Dedicated areas to support operations, host community partners, and facilitate
presentations and conferences.
For inquiries, please contact:
- Barbara Mintz, Senior Vice President, Social Impact and Community Investment, RWJBarnabas Health at Barbara.Mintz@rwjbh.org
- Anthony Capece, Director, Harvest, at Anthony.Capece@rwjbh.org
Keep a lookout for more details as the opening approaches!
