March 20, 2008
Partnership Brings Fresh Produce to Foodbank
Barre, Vermont - At the end of every harvest there are always leftover fruits, veggies, and grains that often go to waste. Thanks to a unique program that's pairing up with the Vermont Food Bank, those foods are getting a second chance at nourishing bodies.
In the kitchen of the Food Bank, Thursday afternoon, volunteers carefully cut and sort roots harvested from local farms. The foods were gleaned by Salvation Farms, an organization that works with farms to gather excess crops. Last month Salvation Farms became a program of the Vermont Food Bank. "It's the goal of the Food Bank to provide the healthiest food we can to low income Vermonters and oftentimes produce is the most expensive food that they'll have to purchase," says Doug O'Brien, Executive Director of the Vermont Food Bank.
Last year alone Salvation Farms harvested 35,000 pounds of food. Now that the two organizations are teamed up they hope to increase that number to 150,000 pounds. "It's really exciting," says Theresa Snow, the founder of Salvation Farms. "It makes the most sense. It's exciting that there's a kitchen here. It's exciting that there's trucks that can access the entire state."
Oftentimes when the vegetables come in they look a little rough around the edges. Carrots are sometimes bent, beets have dark patches on the skin, and turnips have dents. Volunteers and Food Bank staff inspect each piece of produce, cutting off the cosmetic blemishes, and making sure the produce is still edible.
The edible foods then get packaged up and distributed to food shelves, homeless shelters, battered women's shelters, nursing homes--a total of 270 organizations that the Food Bank serves. "As there's been a growth of small farms in the state we want to tap that as a food resource for people in the state," says O'Brien.
In the coming years organizers hope to expand the Salvation Farms program from its base in Lamoille County to working with farms in all 14 counties so low income Vermonters can have a variety of fresh, locally grown foods.
To watch a clip of this story, visit http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8049252
Bianca Slota - WCAX News
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