sustainability and outreach

At York Street Market we prioritize fresh foods to satisfy our customers’ needs. Where we lead in our commitment to quality, we aim to lead in our conscious contribution to environmental conservation. We recognize the importance of maintaining core operational initiatives that allow us to reduce our company’s global footprint and make charitable benefactions to support local communities. To support our commitment to this mission, we have set the following goals:

To limit energy and water consumption. (We use energy-efficient bulbs and sensor lighting where possible to minimize our overall energy usage.)

To implement efficient recycling and composting procedures.

To minimize food loss and waste by donating ready-to-eat products to food banks serving those in need. (We donate approximately 750 pounds of food every week to these local organizations.)

To source locally, supporting small businesses for big impact.

To routinely monitor facility temperatures and HVAC systems to track and minimize equipment and energy expenditures.

Our 2023-24 initiatives include efforts to

  • reduce our energy usage by purchasing more energy-efficient equipment,

  • optimize our trucking routes and logistics to limit our gas emissions,

  • provide and monitor separate receptacles for both paper and plastic recycling in our office spaces,

  • invest in a food digester or composter for organic waste to be sent to local farms and plant nurseries,

  • source a comparable compostable packaging alternative for clients who commit to the end lifecycle of sustainable waste, and

  • join the EPA’s U.S. Food Loss and Waste Champions group by committing to a 50% reduction in operational food loss and waste by the year 2030.

our PARTNERs

Table to Table (tabletotable.org) is New Jersey’s first food rescue organization. Committed to feeding the hungry in Northern NJ, Table to Table rescues and delivers free, healthy, and fresh food from grocery stores, food distributors, and restaurants, and in doing so, nourishes the community while helping our environment.

How They Do It

Table to Table secures food via a diverse and growing network of food donors, partnering with hundreds of recipient organizations and nutritious food hubs to distribute food to those in need. For large, pallet-sized rescues, they utilize a fleet of refrigerated trucks and safety-trained drivers seven days a week. Their volunteer-based app, Table to Table I-Rescue (tabletotable.org/i-rescue), is used for smaller, local rescues.

Table to Table & YSM

In the span of nearly a decade, York Street Market has worked with Table to Table to rescue and distribute close to 100,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious food for those in need.

Founded over forty years ago as a soup kitchen in downtown Paterson, NJ, Eva’s Village (evasvillage.org) provides care and support to individuals struggling with hunger, homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health challenges. Through integrated, comprehensive social services and behavioral health programs, Eva’s helps these individuals lead healthy, stable, independent lives.

Eva’s Village & York Street Market

In November of 2021, Joe Lorenzo started donating various food products to Eva’s Village as part of his goal to minimize food loss and waste. Since then, York Street Market has donated thousands of pounds of food, from sandwiches and salads to cheese plates and individual dinners. By donating ready-to-eat foods to food banks and community kitchens like Eva’s Village, York Street Market is making a significant impact on the lives of those in need.

“York Street Market is a critical partner for Eva’s Village. Through their many donations of handmade, ready-to-eat foods, York Street has helped us reduce our food costs.... These donations play a big factor in our ability to serve over 300,000 meals to food-insecure individuals each year. In addition, we know the food we receive is made fresh while meeting high standards for quality and safety.”

—Howard Haughton, CEO of Eva’s Village