cards in both English and Spanish,
providing easy yet creative ways to
use the produce.
As part of MVF’s COVID-19 summer
relief plan, the Fresh Food Boxes are
delivered every week; they are filled
with $20 to $25 worth of produce, but
cost only $5 cash, guaranteeing that
the organization is helping to meet the
growing demand for families in need
of food in the Greenville community.
found themselves unemployed; they are
having to feed and care for themselves
and their children who are no longer
in school where they were previously
provided with sufficient food. With the
increasing need for healthy food within
these Greenville food deserts, Executive
Director Dan Weidenbenner is tasked
with bringing immediate and crucial
relief to these communities.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, MVF
has worked around the clock to ensure
that its vulnerable communities will
still have access to affordable fresh
foods through their FoodShare Food
Box Program. MVF partnered with
FoodShareSC in 2018 to provide families
they serve with boxes of fresh fruit
and vegetables. These “Fresh Food
Boxes” come with a combination of 10
to 12 locally and seasonally produced
fruits and vegetables along with recipe
“This year, we are having to slightly
scale back our Youth Program on the
farm due to COVID-19. However,
already in 2020, our FoodShare program
has reached more people than in
2018 and 2019 combined,” says MVF
team member Rob Cain. They have
already distributed 54,000 pounds
of food and almost 5,000 Fresh Food
Boxes from 30 different locations
across Greenville since the beginning
of the pandemic.
Mill Village Farms is an inspiration to
the surrounding communities, encouraging
neighbors to come together in
doing something positive for the community
from cultivating fresh, local,
and affordable produce to nurturing
a successful future for its youth. And
while Greenville neighborhoods face
significant obstacles due to the COVID-
19 pandemic, with its dedication to
serve, MVF is up for the challenge. n
54 PEACHYTHEMAGAZINE.COM