The City of Mount Vernon, the first city in Westchester County, in partnership with Feeding Westchester, started the free Fresh Market program in 2017. The Fresh Market program is a food rescue program that helps the wholesale vendors reduce their Carbon footprint. If this food isn’t rescued, it will end up in landfills, rot and in turn, produce Methane gas, a greenhouse gas that’s 28 times more powerful than Carbon Dioxide.
As of September 13, 2021, in partnership with the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, Mount Vernon will add composting to its operation. The addition of composting will complete the life cycle of the rescued food which will assist the growth of new food. Composting food scraps creates a product that can be used to help improve soils, grow the next generation of crops, and improve water quality.