Several days a week, Annarose Kennedy, the community food rescue coordinator of the Manna Food Center, ambles around a local farm lined with crates of corn, bushels of apples and sacks of potatoes. Now and then, she pauses to chat with farmers as they pack and load fresh produce onto trucks in preparation to run produce deliveries to food banks across Montgomery County. This is part of Kennedy’s daily work in the Farm to Food Bank program—a partnership between the Manna Food Center, Montgomery County Food Council and Montgomery County Office of Agriculture.
Since its inception in 2010, the Farm to Food Bank program has connected local county farms with food assistance organizations such as food banks, churches and schools, aiming to boost access to fresh, locally-grown produce for residents who experience food insecurity by purchasing fruits and vegetables from local farmers.
The program supports the farms in the county by offering to buy their produce at prices lower than farmer’s market prices but higher than retail prices. “The Farm to Food Bank program was born out of the notion that farms often have plenty of surpluses, and it is hard to sell that surplus through usual market outlets, like grocery stores, restaurants, etc.,” said Lorien MacAuley, Food Economy, Agriculture and Sustainability Consultant of the Montgomery County Food Council.
Traditionally, farmers often donate their surplus yields to the food bank without any payment. For small farms that are struggling financially, the Farm to Food Bank program offers them the opportunity to get paid a fair market value for their produce.
The program is a significant component of the Montgomery County hunger relief effort in tackling the hunger crisis in the community. According to the 2022 Capital Area Food Bank Survey, 30% of county residents reported food insecurity, among which 12% experienced severe food insecurity. Many Montgomery County residents don’t have access to nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables, which is a concern that prompted the creation of the Farm to Food Bank program. “We’re trying to create a sustainable food system where people know where their food is coming from and they can rely on it for healthy, fresh food options,” Kennedy said.
With grant funding from Montgomery County and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Manna Food Center purchases produce, eggs, meat and other products from local farms. The products are then donated to recipient organizations and distributed by volunteer food runners. The whole process is efficient and streamlined, which ensures the freshness of seasonal produce.
“In spring, farmers offer a lot of kale, collards and Swiss chard. In the summer, there are more broccoli, eggplant, melons, squash and tomatoes. When we head into winter, we get more winter squash, winter melon, turnips and radishes,” Kennedy said.
In the 2022 fiscal year, a total of 76,933 pounds of produce was purchased and donated to families in need, which is a 25% jump from the previous year. Currently, 30 active farms and over 100 food relief organizations are participating in the program.
Both farmers and families in need speak positively about the program, according to a survey conducted by the Montgomery County Food Council. “Many of [the farmers] say how lucky they are to be able to participate in this program. We have had farmers even say that their farm was able to stay in business through the pandemic, due to the Farm to Food Bank program,” MacAuley said.
The One Acre Farm in Dickerson sells produce to the program weekly, including peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, brussel sprouts greens and more. “We have had an excellent experience with the Farm to Food Bank program,” Farm Operations Manager Charlotte Henderson said. “The farm has been able to sell light items, like greens, per pound and be adequately compensated. We greatly appreciate the hard work done by the staff and leadership team of the program.”
Families participating in the program also expressed gratitude for the fresh fruits and vegetables added to their plates. “They comment on the high quality of the fresh produce because at a food pantry, they often suffer from getting secondhand, past-its-prime fruits and vegetables, rather than tiptop, often organic, produce,” MacAuley said.
The program is expanding and recruiting additional farms and food banks. In the winter, when farm food production is slower, Kennedy focuses on reaching out to more county farms and food assistance organizations to join the program. “I’ll be doing site visits in the winter to shelters, churches, community centers, etc.,” Kennedy said. “We want to make sure that we’re connecting with organizations that we haven’t met before.”
Food insecurity and malnutrition are still critical issues in the county. But the thriving of county food assistance programs like the Farm to Food Bank program has demonstrated their potential to provide families with a stable source of nutritious produce and transform the local food economy to nourish the well-being of the community.
Written by Allison Xu of Walter Johnson High School
Photo courtesy of Manna Food Center