East End Food, the nonprofit that supports eastern Long Island farmers and food businesses, won a $5 million state grant to complete the construction of a year-round farmers market and shared commercial kitchen in Riverhead.
The “transformational” grant will also allow East End Food to purchase the property it is leasing on the southwest corner of the intersection of Main Road (Route 25) and County Road 105 for the project, known as the East End Food Hub, with the potential for expansion, according to Executive Director Marci Moreau.
“After so much uncertainty, this moment is monumental,” Moreau said in a statement. “This grant doesn’t just fund the purchase of a building — it anchors our mission in place and time. It’s a win not only for East End Food but for every farmer, food producer, schoolchild, and family that calls Eastern Long Island home.”
“The ripple effect of this investment will be felt for generations,” she added.
The food hub “will open as soon as we can get the commercial kitchen up and running,” Moreau said in an interview. The goal is “to get everything up and running by this year,” but declined to give an exact date.
The grant is “a lifeline and a launchpad” that comes “[a]fter years of fundraising hurdles and building delays,” the press release states.
The grant was announced by the governor yesterday as a part of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Market’s Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which aims to “improve meal preparation and distribution for kindergarten through grade 12 students using local agricultural products,” according to a press release.
The East End Food Hub will connect local farms to six school districts on Long Island, including the Riverhead Central School District, to provide students with locally grown foods, according to the press release.
“Every New Yorker deserves access to fresh, locally grown, nutritious foods to eat,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “This program is a great example of how we’re working together to connect the dots within our food systems, reduce food insecurity and support our producers. I congratulate the awardees and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”
In a state press release, Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard thanked Hochul and called the grant a “big win for our community.”
“This program not only helps provide local jobs but promotes the use of local agricultural products,” Hubbard said in the statement.
East End Food, formerly known as the East End Food Institute, unveiled its plan to create the multimillion-dollar East End Food Hub in 2022. The project was estimated to cost between $15 million and $20 million, and includes a processing facility for turning higher volumes of farm produce into value-added products; a farm-to-freezer processing facility; a warehouse and cold storage for aggregation and distribution of locally-grown and made goods; and housing for seasonal workers and conference attendees.
East End Food has been fundraising and renovating the food hub property — formerly the retail building of Homeside Florist and Greenhouses — since 2023.
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