Market Farming

[Allan Balliett <igg AT igg.com>]

As a CSA that was originally formed to make nutritionally dense 
produce available to young mothers and other at risk groups, we have 
a lot of experience donating surplus produce to neighborhood agencies.

Without going into a lot of detail, I have to agree: volunteers at 
our area food banks tend to make off with the best produce (some 
bragging to us about how many bushels of our tomatoes they had taken 
home). While interest in fresh food has definitely improved in the 
past 10 years, we still find food bank management dragging its feet 
about fresh produce and we never feel a hand coming out to us from 
the food banks.  Soup kitchens are consistently the most appreciative 
and flexible.

It behooves one who wants to donate food to the elderly to realize 
that perhaps they should contribute COOKING to the elderly, as well. 
We find that the elderly appreciate a good cooked meal more than they 
do a  bag of produce. As they told us at meals-on-wheels 'Many elders 
no longer have cooking equipment.' At one point we were making soup 
and salad with a local church on Saturdays. It's was great to see how 
many 'free loaders' would get in the line with the 'official' 
elderly. That's ok, we were really 'feeding the hungry.'

Both state officials from WIC and managers of the local food banks 
have told us 'Our interest is in hunger, not nutrition.' I can see 
their point...sort of. With their meager annual allotments, though, 
it is hard to believe that they are interested in 'curing' either.

I have remained very disappointed at how difficult it is to engage 
local churches or civic groups in being the go-betweens for us. 
Matching farm hours to food bank hours can be very difficult. How 
nice it w.b. if church groups would carry at least part of this load. 
How great it is when a citizen realizes the value of what we have to 
share and will do some of the hauling.. and harvesting.

This year we are developing a PLANT A ROW FOR THE HUNGRY PROGRAM in 
this county. http://www.gardenwriters.org/par/ It's a chance to pull 
farms and gardeners together to support local hunger initiatives.

Inspite of what you may infer from my comments above, I remain excited!

-Allan Balliett
Fresh and Local CSA
Shepherdstown, WV