One way we’re doing that is through the Farm to Food Shelf Program, which gives us an opportunity to partner with one of Minnesota’s best-known tomato growers: Bushel Boy Farms. We are also committing to sourcing the best produce we can find, ensuring that all our neighbors have access to nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. That’s why we have committed to increasing our sourcing of fresh produce from farms owned by families and farmers of color. We know that as one of the region’s largest food banks, our buying power can make a big difference to family farms, including those owned by BIPOC farmers. Sourcing the freshest produce available is a win-win for both family-owned and operated farms and families utilizing Minnesota’s food shelves. In addition to buying produce, The Good Acre provides farmers of color access to additional resources, like training, crop advising, and networking opportunities.Īll that helps, says Moses, because apart from us just growing, we also need the network and the education and the resources that go with it to be successful. The partnership was designed with flexibility in mind, making it easy for Moses and Lonah to earn income despite bad weather and other unpredictable factors–including the COVID-19 pandemic. Moses and Lonah jumped at the chance to sell some of their crops and give families experiencing food insecurity a chance to eat fresh, local, organically-grown vegetables at the peak of ripeness. In 2020, Second Harvest Heartland teamed up with The Good Acre to buy fresh produce from local farmers at market rates, then distribute that produce to food shelf partners in our service area. Near Cambridge in east central Minnesota, Moses Momanyi and Lonah Onyancha run Dawn2Dusk Farm-a 20-acre organic-certified farm committed to utilizing sustainable farming practices in growing a variety of delicious vegetables. Fresh foods accounted for 63 percent of the total food distributed by Second Harvest Heartland last year, and many of those came from family farms and familiar names in Minnesota’s rich agricultural scene. In 2020, we responded to requests from our community partners to provide even more fresh meat, protein, dairy, and produce items. Through programs we participate in- Farm to Food Shelf and Milk Grants-and through increased investment in family-owned farms, we have continued the vital work of sourcing the freshest, most nutritious foods available. Reliable access to healthy foods can help our neighbors to live fully as parents, students and employees. We know that simply providing food to families facing food insecurity is not enough that’s why we’re moving beyond food distribution to ensure that nutrition security is at the center of the work we do. Keeping produce, dairy, and proteins at food-safe temperatures for our partners is a logistical challenge, and at Second Harvest Heartland, we rise to that challenge every day in our fight to end hunger. Instead, our drivers tirelessly drove more than 600,000 miles throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin to deliver custom orders of fresh, nutritious foods to our partners. Last year, our fleet of delivery trucks could have driven to the moon and back.
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