BY JENNIFER FReeman & Illustrated by Maria Loor leven months ago in
ery County residents faces food insecurity , spring 2020 , news headlines carried photos of demic . Out of this difficult situation , local
up from one in twelve before the pan- empty shelves at grocery organizations stepped in to help . stores around the country . It wasn ’ t just toilet pa- example of a local initiative that helps
Community FarmShare ( CFS ) is one
per that was hard to come provide a solution to this problem . Based by ; scarce too were many staples , canned in Poolesville and working with farmers goods , dairy products , and fresh produce . countywide , CFS links food-insecure families with local farmers to provide healthy , nutritious
Then the headlines shifted , grocery stores were able to pivot their sourcing , and the food scare passed . food . Individuals and organizations alike can contribute any amount with a quick , easy , and secure donation
But not for all . In fact , for many residents in our county , their home pantries are still as bare today as to a participating local farm , ensuring that a nearby grocery stores ’ shelves were in those first months . family in need has access to a weekly bag full of fresh
While spending time volunteering at one of the produce from spring through fall . All donations enable County ’ s food assistance hubs set up in response to the Community FarmShare to purchase farm shares and to pandemic , I saw firsthand how our community came coordinate these healthy produce deliveries from the together to make a real difference in the lives of people farms directly to families experiencing food insecurity . facing food insecurity . It got me thinking about how we With extremely low overhead costs to run the could link land and farmers to people in need of food , program , Community FarmShare offers the opportunity for a four-tiered impact with just one donation . and I wanted to share some encouraging news . But first , it is important to understand some
First , and of utmost importance , food-insecure families staggering numbers to put local food insecurity into benefit by gaining weekly access to fresh , healthy , context . Montgomery County has seen an estimated 50 nutrient-dense seasonal produce otherwise not easily percent increase in the number of residents accessing food assistance services prior to the pandemic to earning the deserved income for their tireless dedica-
accessible . Second , local table-crop farmers benefit by
well over 100,000 residents as of January 2021 . Feeding tion to growing nutritious produce that sustains us all . America reports that currently one in eight Montgom-
Next , the farmers ’ use of organic , regenerative farm-
26 plenty I Spring sowing 2021