Farming Partners

Healthy Harvest Fresh Produce Initiative

A few years ago, with support , in part by a grant from The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program, we launched an extra effort to purchase and provide more locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to our neighbors in need served by the Food Bank of the Southern Tier during harvest season. 

The program allows the Food Bank to purchase produce from local farmers, to distribute product while it is fresh and has the highest nutritional value, and to raise awareness among the local farm community of the need for food assistance. The program is expected to yield more than 165,000 pounds of local produce in its first year. 

Local farmers participating in the Healthy Harvest program include: 
• Addison Family Farms, Addison, NY
• Brennan Farm, Avoca, NY
• North Windsor Berries, Windsor, NY
• Stoney Ridge Orchard, Erin, NY

The results:
• Investment in local farms supports local, sustainable agriculture economy 
• Increased awareness of the need for food assistance leads to increased produce donations 
• 1/3 of our annual distribution is fresh produce

Expansion to National Produce Partnerships

The success of the program encouraged us to commit to providing as much fresh produce as possible throughout the entire year. While the emphasis remains on working with our local agricultural community as much as possible, we have extended our commitment to fresh fruit and vegetables beyond the local harvest season.