Sky Farm LIC

Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ) announced their new rooftop farm, Sky Farm LIC. VBGCQ recently acquired the farm, located at the Standard Motor building at 37-18 Northern Blvd in Queens. The rooftop has one acre of farmland, beehives and is a haven for migratory birds. Brooklyn Grange will assist with the management and maintenance of the property.

The farm will serve as a learning hub for kids and the community at large. VBGCQ will build educational programming surrounding agriculture, healthy meals, green spaces and sustainable living. Kids and adults alike will help start seedlings, plant crops, harvest vegetables and more. The beehives located at  the farm will remain and also be used for educational programming. Pollinators are an integral part of our ecosystems and the beehives will help raise awareness of their importance. Sky Farm LIC serves as a learning center for the community and will also produce organically grown vegetables and honey. Green roofs are such an important part of making New York City a more sustainable place to live.

"We are so excited to forge this new partnership here at Sky Farm LIC.  Brooklyn Grange planted the seed more than ten years ago here at the farm, growing a strong educational foundation of learning around urban farming, healthy eating and growing.  Now we will continue to nurture this soil to grow the next generation of youth here in Western Queens into stronger environmental activists providing 4000 of them access to this oasis for sustainable growth and urban farming.  The Sky Farm LIC will be a collaboration with Brooklyn Grange, our amazing elected partners, our local schools, our VBGCQ team and all of our young people. We are excited for what is to come for Sky Farm LIC and thank all of our good friends that will work with us to build a greener future here in Western Queens." - said CEO Costa Constantinides, Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens 

"I'm glad to see the flowering partnership between the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens and Brooklyn Grange blossom in order to bring forth Sky Farm LIC," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "With this innovative new rooftop farm, our Western Queens community members will have more access to fresh produce and will learn more about how to take care of our ecosystem. Our collective mission to create a more sustainable and greener Queens becomes a reality with achievements like these!," said Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President.

“I'm excited by the announcement of NYC’s oldest rooftop farm and newest rooftop farm hub here in Long Island City. We have seen the great success of Brooklyn Grange's rooftop farming, which got its start here and spread to two other industrial roofs of my district in Brooklyn. Now the Grange passes the torch to Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens to take this to the next level as Sky Farm LIC, an urban agriculture learning hub that will educate youth and the community about crops, harvesting, nutrition and stewardship right here in the City. This rooftop farm is a great example of green infrastructure that yields local, organically grown food while also soaking up rainwater to help reduce flooding and helps to cool the area in the face of rising temperatures. That’s why I introduced a bill to expand green roofs and secured Community Project Funding for year-round farming programs for twenty more schools throughout my district in Queens and Brooklyn so these collaborations can flourish.”- said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez

"I am thrilled to learn the Variety Boys and Girls Club has acquired the lease for the Brooklyn Grange and are announcing the creation of a new farm with a focus on serving kids to teach them about sustainability and urban farming. I cannot underscore how important it is that we are getting new green space in Western Queens given how little exists in the city. Sky Farm LIC will be a much needed and welcome addition to our community and an important partner is teaching the importance of sustainability to the next generation," said NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez.

“Many congratulations to the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens on their new urban rooftop farm! This innovative initiative is planting seeds for young Astorians to engage deeply with sustainability, our climate, and where our food comes from. I look forward to hearing about all of the learning and growth that comes out of this space, and want to express my thanks to Costa and other leaders at Variety Boys and Girls in leading our community’s efforts to nurture our youth,” stated NYS Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani

“Sky Farm LIC embodies so many of the values we fight to advance everyday: ecological sustainability, food security, educational opportunity, racial and economic justice, and community-building,” said NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “VBGC has long been a key pillar of Western Queens, bringing together families and neighborhoods across lines of difference toward the common goal of enriching the physical, intellectual, and emotional well being of our families and children. I couldn’t be more proud to help fund VBGC year over year and see projects like this through,” said NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán.

"Brooklyn Grange is excited to transfer the lease of our flagship rooftop farm to the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens so they can continue the work of connecting this community with fresh, healthy food. We’re gratified that the farm will support programming that strives towards food equity and improves health outcomes among young New Yorkers, and we look forward to supporting VBGCQ with the maintenance of not only the farming operation atop the Standard Motor building, but the continued stewardship of a critical environmental resource that mitigates stormwater flooding, reduces urban heat island effect, and benefits even those in the surrounding neighborhoods who do not directly interact with the space," said Anastasia Cole Plakias, co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Brooklyn Grange.

The Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens is the largest youth development organization in Western Queens, serving more than 4,000 young people every year. An anchor in the Astoria/Long Island City community since 1955, VBGCQ offers children a safe haven to learn, play, and grow into tomorrow's leaders. The Club’s 30,000 square foot facility is open to the community seven days a week and includes an indoor swimming pool, makerspace lab, computer room, teaching kitchen, gym, auditorium, art studio, dance studio, film studio, and outdoor playground. While the Club has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of our community, its founding mission remains the same: to make a difference in the lives of young people, and enable all children -- especially those who need us most -- to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible New Yorkers.

Photos & Materials - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i7dc1xtq586l0vn/AABUuA3RmHa0_pgxo9566nJ1a?dl=0