Food bank’s farm facility built with community donations
Officials at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York are hoping those in need will be getting more healthy vegetables after a barn is opened at the Patroon Land Farm.
Local dignitaries and bank representatives celebrated the construction of the barn Tuesday, June 29, at the Voorheesville farm, which is run by volunteer labor and donates its harvest to the bank.
The regional food bank’s Linda Comstock hopes the farm will be even more productive with the new facilities in place.
It’s going to be the hub of operation, just like and barn is on a farm, she said. `We did not have a place where we could wash and pack the produce [before]… We will be able to move things along a lot faster.`
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York Executive Director Mark Quandt echoed those sentiments.
`It will also provide a place where our staff can work and volunteers can do work in bad weather,` he said. `When it’s raining, sometimes we don’t really have anything for our staff to do.`
But perhaps the most impressive thing about the barn is the fact it was constructed entirely through donations. A committee started raising money in January and gathered about $35,000 through efforts like candy sales, seed sales and a red dress walk, and local companies, unions and individuals donated a combined $50,000 in materials, labor and other services.
`They are the ones that are raising the barn,` said Comstock. `If it weren’t for the community we wouldn’t be doing the barn.`
The Patroon Land Farm is a unique endeavor for the food bank. The farm was endowed as farmland by Pauline Williman in the ’90s, and in 2006 the bank partnered with the farm to grow produce for the needy there.
Since then, the Patroon Farm has shipped 225,000 pounds of food to the food bank’s member agencies. It’s run entirely by volunteer labor, as well.
`The obvious benefit of the farm is that it provides fresh produce,` Quandt said. `It’s the kind of food that a lot of the people we serve never get.`
`The farm has brought us new supporters, has introduced us to new people, and when they get to know about the farm they get to know about the food bank,` he continued.
The eventual goal is to get to the point the farm will not have to rely on the food bank for support. To that end, it runs a community supported agriculture program, where for an up-front price investors can buy a share of the farm’s produce and receive a bag of freshly harvested food all season long.
`That’s helping the food bank to have that farm be self sustaining on its own financially,` Comstock said.
But the ultimate purpose of the farm is to provide fresh produce to the hungry. Oftentimes, pantries don’t stock or don’t receive produce due to its high cost and limited shelf life. Sending the produce straight from the farm to the food banks helps those in need enjoy the benefits of fresh food.
That’s an important contribution in a time when the bank’s food pantries and soup kitchens are seeing an increase in demand of 20 to 30 percent in the past year alone.
`The need is still great,` Quandt said. `There’s been an increase in the need and the demand for help.`
Last year, the bank’s distribution went up 15 percent to 22.4 million pounds, and this year is on pace to be even bigger, he continued.
The barn should also help the farm provide agriculture educational opportunities, such as hosting field trips from area schools, and house equipment during the winter.
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