Mid-summer marks an exciting point in the year for the food bank’s food sourcing: it’s the time when all of the fresh produce distributed to our neighbors comes from local growers.
Supporting local growers and sourcing local produce for our clients are key parts of our mission. In Virginia, those local growers include Cornell “Brick” Goldman, whose farm is part of a food hub that aggregates crops from 15 different growers to help farmers reach new markets.
Goldman is the third generation to tend to his plot of land, which used to be a tobacco farm. With his wife and two workers, Goldman grows about 30 acres of fruits and vegetables.
“The vegetables are super fresh: we pick them one day, and they move to the food bank the next day,” Goldman says.
Peppers and summer squash are among the fresh vegetables that the food bank has sourced for our clients from Goldman and the food hub he’s part of, known as the Southside Virginia Fruit and Vegetable Producers Association.
The food bank works with farms all over the region to procure nutritious produce for our partners and programs. Those relationships offer a consistent market for smaller growers, while also ensuring our community has better access to the fresh food it needs to thrive.
“It’s important to provide access to fresh produce because if we get people to eat more fruits and vegetables, they’re going to be healthier,” Goldman says.
The hot, dry start to the summer has created challenging conditions for local growers like Goldman. But we’re still seeing a range of local produce flowing through our warehouse, including corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, peaches, and tomatoes. Through December, the food bank expects to purchase 5.6 million pounds of local produce!