Central Coast Farmers Give To Ag
Against Hunger
As December is Farm to Foodbank Month, Lindsay
Coate, Executive Director,
Ag Against Hunger, posted TODAY that
it is ironic that California produces the largest bounty of
agricultural products consumed in the US, and yet, 4.7 million of our residents
live in poverty and often don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
A solution to this problem was developed 24 years ago by
farmers in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties when they realized that
20 percent of their product was going to waste. They collectively decided to
create an agricultural nonprofit organization known today as Ag AgainstHunger to collect and distribute all of their surplus produce.
Ag Against Hunger’s primary function is to prevent the waste
of fresh vegetables and fruit. Instead of disking full fields of produce or
paying fees to get rid of harvested product, producers contact Ag Against
Hunger to distribute the produce to food banks.
The Ag Against Hunger Program is
simple:
- We collect nutritious
and fresh surplus vegetables, fruits and salads and from local growers and
shippers.
-
We consolidate the surplus produce at our cooler.
-
We distribute the produce to food banks and non-profit agencies.
-
Food banks and agencies give the fresh produce at no cost to people in need.
Ag Against Hunger has started a new program with the
Grower-Shipper Association Foundation, HELP, the Food Bank for Monterey County
and Fresh from D'Vine in an effort to get more fresh and nutritious produce
into local schools. The More Produce for Schools program provides students in
Monterey County with a more balanced lunchtime meal that includes fresh produce.
Currently, there are five school districts enrolled in the program: Salinas
Union High School, Alisal Union, Greenfield, King City, and North Monterey
County.
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Gleaning session – photo courtesy of Ag Against Hunger
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Ag Against Hunger's portion of the program is being funded by a matching grant
from Wells Fargo Foundation. In order to receive this grant, Ag Against Hunger had
to raise $25,000 in funds by the end of November.
The Ag Against Hunger organization is still supported by its
founding community of local farmers, which provides board members along with
financial assistance and, of course, produce. Since 1990, Ag Against Hunger has
distributed over 212 million pounds of fruits and vegetables to help our local
food bank partners across California.
December as Farm to Food Bank Month is an
initiative by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the
California Association of Food Banks to double farm contributions to food banks
by 2015.
Labels: Central Coast Farmers Give to Ag Against Hunger, Farm to Food Bank Month: Ag Surplus Against Hunger, More Produce for Schools Program in Monterey County
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