DID YOU KNOW....
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Over
96 billion pounds of food in America is wasted every
year? (United States Department of Agriculture)
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Twenty percent
of all produce grown in local and commercial agriculture is lost
because it is aesthetically
unmarketable!
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All the while, 738,000 Hoosiers do not regularly get
enough to eat, 28% of those are children under the age of 18!
(The Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project)
In an effort to bridge both the needs of
farmers and food-insecure households, Hoosier Hills Food Bank is working with
area farmers, along with the support of volunteers, to collect excess, perfectly
edible produce not marketable to the farmers’ consumers.
There are 3
ways we obtain excess produce from local
farms:
-
Pick up
blemished, already-harvested produce
from the farm.
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Assist with
general maintenance in the fields in exchange for donations.
-
Harvest
excess crops still on the plant.
 HHFB is
currently working with Strangers
Hill Organics located just outside of Bloomington. During the peak
summer and fall season, volunteers visit Stranger's Hill Organics each weekday
to pick up or harvest excess crops.
Hoosier Hills Food Bank is traveling to Five Oaks
Farm located in Jackson County. On Friday afternoons, volunteers travel to Five Oaks to assist with weeding, harvesting, and
miscellaneous maintenance. In exchange, Five Oaks sends back with the
HHFB volunteers bushels of delicious vegetables!
**See the
above calendar for current schedules**
If you are a farmer and interested in partnering with
Hoosier Hills Food Bank, contact us at 812-334-8374. Tomatoes, zucchini, squash,
okra, peaches, apples, salad greens, green beans - we'll happily take any of your
tax-deductible delectables!!
For small-scale farmers/gardeners interested in
donating, also consider the Plant-A-Row for the
Hungry program.
We Need Volunteers!
We are looking for committed, hard-working individuals of all ages
and all levels of experience who possess an interest in gardening/farming. Come
help us bridge the gap between lost food and food insecurity!
For more information contact Kim at
812-334-8374 or
volunteer@hhfoodbank.org
Gleaning Brochure!
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