Summertime for many New Jersey residents means enjoying fresh homegrown produce from local gardens and farm stands. However, many residents of urban low-income communities lack easy access to fresh “farm to table” fruits and vegetables—and the green spaces these gardens provide. Jose German-Gomez of Montclair set out to remedy that.
Jose launched the Northeast Earth Coalition (NEEC) in 2015 to protect the environment and promote local sustainability and food security at the community level. NEEC has four programs that fulfill its mission: community outreach, urban growers, a community food network, and environmental initiatives.
Jose created NEEC to close a significant gap he observed in the environmental movement—one with opportunities to empower community leaders engaged in grassroots work who are often overlooked by larger nonprofits. He wanted to support and collaborate with community leaders, especially those involved in environmental restoration and pollinator gardens (which help build up butterfly and bee populations). When he started NEEC, 48 community groups got involved. Today, NEEC works directly with eight groups and has associations with four others throughout northern New Jersey.
The nonprofit also guides municipalities on starting community gardens to create more access to healthy food for low-income residents; and it supports small family farms, urban farming projects, and backyard food production. Jose conducts workshops and training for hundreds of volunteers who manage projects and community vegetable and pollinator gardens in Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties that nourish area residents.
“When we have a strong local food system, the health of our entire community benefits,” said Jose, noting the impact of his nonprofit’s small, all-volunteer community gardens that reach residents in 11 towns. Seven of NEEC’s community gardens provide several area soup kitchens with thousands of pounds of fresh produce every year, and one garden is used by local residents to feed their families directly.
NEEC’s volunteers and municipal leaders are learning from an expert in the field. Jose is a certified Essex County Master Gardener, a certified Rutgers Environmental Steward, and a Duke Farm certified Master Ecologist. He is also a 2023 Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award Honoree, recognized for his significant contributions to the communities NEEC’s gardens and projects serve.
The societal benefits of community gardens
The eight community gardens NEEC runs are providing and preserving green spaces, promoting environmental stewardship, and improving food security.
“Part of strengthening our food system and improving community health is educating people about the importance of locally grown, sustainably raised produce and other food products,” he said.
He explained that NEEC’s four major programs are each designed to support specific issues.
“Our primary program is to support environmental initiatives by promoting sustainable gardening practices. Public awareness is also important, and we work to heighten residents’ knowledge of the issues facing our planet, especially on the local level. NEEC also sponsors cleanup drives which draw hundreds of volunteers, and advocacy campaigns about environmental issues.”
The organization runs nine different environmental restoration projects (four in Florham Park, five in Montclair and Bloomfield), where volunteers plant native flora, build rain gardens, and develop pollinator gardens in both public and private spaces. Jose and his team also work closely with public schools to teach students about native plants, and how to create habitats and pollinator gardens.
The organization also created a community composting program in 10 locations across Montclair. The composting stations have processed over 50 tons of waste, turning what would have gone into the landfill into fertilizer for the community gardens.
Going beyond the garden to combat food insecurity and raise public awareness
Community outreach is at the heart of the NEEC’s mission, one reason why Jose and his team created The Community Food Network in October 2020, in partnership with 14 churches and synagogues. The network runs the Free Little Pantry Project, with 18 locations in five towns in northern NJ, to provide non-perishable food to people facing food insecurity. The pantries are monitored 24/7/365 by over 225 volunteers.
Since the project started (with one location in Montclair), it has distributed over 1.2 million pounds of donated food to support more than 6,000 people. In 2024 alone, it distributed 380,000 pounds of food —without any public funding.
“We are always looking for new collaborations to foster connections with residents, local organizations, and community leaders, and motivate people to become neighbors helping neighbors,” he said. “Some of our volunteers also do vegetable gardening at their homes and they donate their homegrown produce, and NEEC donates fresh produce from our community gardens.”
Advocates for environmental justice
Environmental justice is about making sure no one community or group is disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards or is impacted by negative environmental circumstances. It is also about expanding access to healthy food, clean water, and green spaces.
NEEC continually pushes for local legislation that improves the environment. It was behind several ordinances related to environmental protection such as banning pesticides, community gardening, and promoting renewable energy and energy conservation in local communities. It advises local organizations and individuals, demands better energy policies, and participates in local energy projects.
The organization advocates for the development of accessible, reliable, and affordable public transportation and encourages people to do something as simple as walking or biking as eco-friendly modes of transportation. And of course, Jose works tirelessly to promote community gardens to help create healthier places to live, with expanded access to healthy food for more people. The organization is now inviting people around the world to unite behind renewable energy and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.
“Inspiring people is one of the most remarkable aspects of our work. We are all passionate volunteers united by a vision of sustainable communities and seek to inspire others to replicate our work in gardens and environmental projects,” said Jose.
Jose credits his Making a Difference Award with boosting his organization’s visibility statewide. He later received the 2024 New Jersey Peace Action Making a Difference Award and was recognized for his work by the state senate and assembly. Read more about Jose German-Gomez and the Northeast Earth Coalition at https://neearth.org/.
