The group feeds 1,500 people a week through its North Avenue pantry. Founder Reverend Sarah Smith says she wants to offer something better than a used one.
“You’re fed up with shoddy potatoes and rotten cabbage, and you’re going to give it to your neighbors?” says Smith. “I will not eat it!”
The organization’s Stratford Farm is producing hundreds of pounds of vegetables and herbs in the first two months.
Stratford Farm’s grow room features a viewing window and mezzanine gallery. Organizers say part of their goal is to show people a future that fights food insecurity.
“I want a little kid to come here and say I want to do it!” says Lezli Albelo, nOURish Bridegport’s farm manager. “I love being the first non-commercial hydroponic farm. I don’t want to be the last.”
Once the opportunity for germination is given, the crops are well lit and well watered in large and small hydroponic boxes.
The final product is packaged for nOURish’s pantry and other pantries around Bridgeport. Products are also available at the Bridgeport and Stratford Farmer’s Markets.