Farmers

We LOVE Farmers!

Whether you're a commercial farmer or a back yard hobby farmer, you can help the food bank. Fresh, nutritious produce is such an important part of our clients' diet and is expensive for us to buy. We could not provide the quantity and variety of fresh produce without the help of our local farmers.

Partnerships

Some examples of our partnerships with farmers are:

The Coupeville Farmers Market - For the past four years, the farmers at the Farmers Market have given us their left-over produce at the end of the day. We have a large group of volunteers who pick up this produce on Saturdays and take it to the food bank for storage. We could use more volunteers to help with this job.

Pioneer Farms - Dale Sherman at Pioneer Farms cuts hubbard squash especially for the food bank during his growing season. This exceptionally high fiber, high vitamin squash is an important addition to our client's diet. And our clients have had fun learning different ways to prepare squash.

Penn Cove Organic Farm - This farm has donated many hundreds of pounds of potatoes to us over the years.

Milepost 19 Farm - This raspberry farm had a banner crop in 2009 and told us they would donate as many raspberries as we could find pickers. A record crowd showed up to pick for the food bank, and we received close to 200 pounds of fresh raspberries. What a treat for our clients!

Rose Hip Farm - Linda Bartlett Valerie Reuther, owners of Rose Hip Farm, and the interns were responsible for our connection to the Coupeville Farmers Market, a partnership that has proven very meaningful to both the food bank and local farmers. In addition, some of their CSA clients have donated garden shares to the food bank.

Greenbank CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) - The new CSA program at Greenbank Farm donates produce to the food bank on a monthly basis. Their interns are learning to farm, and they share the wealth with the food bank.

Local Gardeners - Many local, back yard gardeners bring in extra lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, and other goodies when they have too much for their own use. In the fall, we also receive apples, plums, and pears from trees in the community.

Coupeville Community Garden - A few gardeners in town dedicate their community garden plot to growing produce for the food bank.

When it's time to plant your garden, remember to "Plant A Row" for your local food bank!