New City Neighbors brings Veges and Pizza to its Creston Neighborhood
New City Neighbors in Grand Rapids began their first year at their Farmhouse site in 2022.
New City Neighbors, the Grand Rapids non-profit that operates New City Farm, had a big year in 2022. The organization purchased property in its Creston Neighborhood home that includes more growing space and an existing house that it converted into a year-round home for its New City Café.
The café and farm both serve the mission of New City Neighbors which is providing employment, training, and leadership skills to young people. The café was formerly operated outside of a nearby church where New City also has one of its gardens. With an in-door location, the café stayed open through the first half of December instead of closing in September as it has previous years.
“We’re a really well-oiled machine,” said Café Coordinator Luke De Haan.
De Haan worked at a bakery and has a background in community organizing and oversees eight high school-aged employees who operate the café. New City Café is open every Thursday in season, and offers soups, salads, baked goods, and pizzas, cooked in the café’s outdoor woodburning ovens. The café is a place for young people to earn money and develop job skills.
“I would hire anyone here if I owned a private business,” De Haan said of his café staff.
New City Farm employs about an additional dozen young people who work at its original garden in the Creston Neighborhood and the new one-acre garden at the new “Farmhouse” location. New City Farm operates a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program with about 250 families subscribed for weekly produce shares including whatever produce is being harvested that week.
New City Farm got a boost in starting its new garden at the Farmhouse site through a grant it received through the USDA People’s Garden Program. New City utilized a portion of the funding to install a well at the new site. Native plants for pollinator habitat were installed at the location with assistance provided by the Xerces Society in partnership with the People’s Garden program.
New City Farm provides produce to its CSA subscribers but also to several area food pantries and the café. Most of the pizzas and soups the café sells have at least one ingredient raised on the farm. Each week, De Haan and his staff plan the café’s menu with input from the farm staff. The café’s pizza nights are held at the same time that CSA members pick up their weekly produce shares, making it convenient for them to pick up a pizza, soup, or other café items.
Sierra West-Smith is New City’s Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator, she graduated from high school in 2020. She began working for New City when she was 14 and has worked there ever since, except for one year when programs were put on pause due to Covid. Working at New City allowed her to save money for college and learn new skills.
West-Smith now has experience managing employees, organizing events, and bookkeeping. She began working for New City full-time in 2022 while attending Grand Rapids Community College. She is studying social work and hopes to work with formerly incarcerated people transitioning back into the community. Working at New City helped her build her resume and is more fulfilling than being a cog in a machine, said West-Smith. “It’s a good place to be.”