Added Value is a non-profit organization that promotes the sustainable development of Red Hook in Brooklyn. They nurture a new generation of young leaders. Added Value creates opportunities for the youth of South Brooklyn to expand their knowledge base, develop new skills and positively engage with their community through the operation of a socially responsible urban farming enterprise.
Added Value has provided long-term training to over 150 neighborhood teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19, provided hundreds of local elementary students with educational programs and worked with thousands of local elementary school students with educational programs and worked with thousands of volunteers to build a more just and sustainable future for all.
By creating urban farm projects such as these, Added Value has helped revitalize local parks, transform vacant lands, improved access to healthy, safe, and affordable food, begun to grow an economy that supports the needs of the community, and changed many lives. Bringing people together to grow food connects community members and helps them learn while creating a great program for others. Their three main initiatives are: growing a Just Food System, youth empowerment, and farm-based learning.
Written by Elise Mazur, 8/4/2015