When we think of “farm to table,” the term brings some pleasant images to mind. For me, the vision is one of a painting of the harvest coming from the fields in the sun with wooden bins being placed into a red pickup. Some may see a horse-drawn wagon heading down the farm road to market. It stays with us. The idea is quaint but much more complicated than that. Our local farms often are producers, creators of unique foods from yogurt to kimchi. Those goods must be refrigerated. The little cart becomes a box truck, with a graphic on the side.
Nonprofit local food hub Farm Fresh Rhode Island has the situation well in hand and has been overachieving for years in connecting the farms and producers of Rhode Island with grocers, chefs, restaurateurs and home cooks. Nikki Ayres, the director of giving, explained in an interview that Farm Fresh Rhode Island works with over 200 farmers statewide, taking advantage of the heightened awareness of the better food quality of local growers combined with an increase in the number of small growers taking advantage of Community Supported Agriculture programs in which a community of individuals support a farm operation.
A family or individual works a part of a farm field and benefits from its harvest. Some people got involved in the activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. And Farm Fresh fulfilled the need to bring the harvest to market. Demand began to outpace capacity, particularly where transportation was concerned.
The hub was the recipient of a new refrigerated van donated by the Lions Club International Foundation following an effort from the Lions of Rhode Island District 42 members to raise over $65,000 to purchase the vehicle. Farm Fresh Rhode Island will use this van for its Hope’s Harvest program, which mobilizes volunteers to harvest surplus fruits and vegetables from farms for distribution to hunger relief agencies in Rhode Island.
“Lions Club members have been huge supporters of the Hope’s Harvest program for many years, and we’re deeply grateful for their time, energy and commitment to bringing fresh, locally grown food to our neighbors in need,” said Eva Agudelo, Farm Fresh RI’s director of value chain strategy. “The Lions Club and Farm Fresh RI share a dedication to local businesses and celebrate the many ways they contribute to a healthier, happier community.”
Lions Club member Nancy Reiter said, “Rhode Island Lions are proud to honor their legacy of service by partnering with Hope’s Harvest and Farm Fresh RI to feed our neighbors in need. When we approached the Lions Club International Foundation for a grant toward this purchase, they responded that this was just the kind of project that they wanted to support.”
Another aspect of the food hub concept brings things back to the simple idea of the farmer and the horse-drawn cart. Hope’s Harvest is a volunteer program. Its 1,325-plus volunteers have engaged in over 9,000 hours of labor since 2018 to harvest surplus fruits and vegetables from farms. The practice is known as gleaning. It is known also as farm-based food recovery. It is an ancient practice of collecting unharvested produce from a farmer’s fields. These days the methodology involves contracting with local growers and paying for surplus produce. In this way, the program has been able to glean produce from 56 local farms.
Begun in 2004 as a student thesis project at Brown University, Farm Fresh RI has grown briskly to capture the public interest in locally grown food and translate it into sales for Rhode Island farmers and producers. Strongly mission-driven, Farm Fresh achieved 501(c)(3) status in 2007 and has since implemented a variety of programs to enhance the local food system of the New England region, with particular attention to farm viability and low-income access to fresh food. The organization operates a wide range of programs that engage and connect Rhode Island consumers with local farmers and producers. With the upgrade in transportation, Ayres is confident that Farm Fresh RI can reach even more farmers and more pantries. “It’s all about getting more food to more folks,” she said.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, can be heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
