City Harvest is teaming up with David Burtka, Neil Patrick Harris and Beth’s Farm Kitchen to raise money for New Yorkers in need this holiday season.
Through Harris and Burtka’s enterprise Funhouse Farm, Beth’s Farmhouse Kitchen will be selling a limited edition “Jam Sessions” jam. Having been super involved with City Harvest in the past, Burtka knew that this would be a great chance to give back during the holidays.
“We’ve always been a big fan of city harvest and we’ve done quite a lot of things for them in terms of packing, fundraising and delivering. My kids are a part of the Junior Food Council. It’s always just been a passion of ours, we really love taking care of people and doing service and giving back,” said Burtka.
Burtka and Harris worked with Jodie Emmett and Guillermo Maciel, owners of Beth’s Farm Kitchen, to develop the idea for the jam. After going through different food ideas, the team decided on the cherry-flavored jam, entitled “Merry Winter Cherry.” The flavor recipe was developed by Burtka and Harris, with the entire team working on the logo and packaging of this special jam.
“We thought jam was perfect for the holidays because it’s small and it could be a stocking stuffer and we can make it ‘holiday,’ like with warm holiday spices, like allspice, clove and cinnamon, and cherry is always good because it’s sort of that sweet/tart flavoring that you like during the holidays,” said Burtka.
The jam will retail for $12, with Beth’s Farmhouse Kitchen giving $6 to City Harvest with each sale. Each jar purchased will impact 13 New Yorkers through City Harvest’s efforts.
“I think with this time of giving and getting, you get a lot of gifts, so you might forget that it is a time about taking care of each other. That’s what we need to do, giving back and doing services is such a huge part of life, and I really like teaching my kids that as well,” said Burtka. “There are a lot of people that would just love a hot meal this holiday season and they can’t even afford that. You can buy a jam and you’re not only helping someone, but you’re also getting something in return — you can slap some jam on some bread for Christmas morning and say, hey. this is doing good.”
The jam will be available for purchase through Jan. 15, 2024. To purchase a jar of the Jam Sessions Merry Winter Cherry jam, visit bethsfarmkitchen.com. To learn more about City Harvest, visit cityharvest.org.
