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Heart & Soil

Community Produce Program

In 2020 we launched Community Produce Program- providing free, fresh produce to senior residents through weekly delivery and no-contact distribution. In response to COVID19 many small farms, including our own, saw profit loss with markets, restaurants and vendors being closed. There were increased health risks to our senior residents and our small town did not have storage space for fresh foods that could be donated by the State. We got an idea: raise funds to buy produce from small farms and deliver it directly to local homes: Community Produce Program was born. Community members joined the effort, donating ‘extra’ produce from home gardens and volunteering to help pack bags and make deliveries. The program was funded by a grant through EforAll Berkshire County, as well as our own on-line fundraising. We distributed nearly $2400 of fresh produce at no cost to senior residents in Lanesborough. Community Produce Program was such a success we incorporated a nonprofit, Heart & Soil Collective Inc. to keep it moving forward!

In 2022 Community Produce Program was fully funded by a grant through AARP, allowing us to provide fresh fruits & veggies to 24 households for 17 weeks. The Lanesborough Ambulance Crew volunteered to help with deliveries, furthering community connections and providing wellness checks to our senior families. In 2023 we were connected with USDA funding through Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, allowing us to expand deliveries to three towns and reach 60 families a week. 

Deliveries run from July through October, with produce purchased from Holiday Brook Farm, Full Well Farm, Bittersweet Farm, Windy Ridge Organic Farm and other local farms and farm stands. 

Please read the Berkshire Eagle article from November 1st, 2022 about our program here.

Our long-term goal for Community Produce Program is to expand into towns across Berkshire County, helping support more local farms and providing fresh foods directly to more local homes.  

With questions, to get on the waitlist or to volunteer, please email: heart.soilma@gmail.com

 

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This program was great. When I got my veggies on Tuesdays I would plan my dinner around it. Great produce, great people! Thank you.

 

Ann

This program was a wonderful way to reach out to the community in so many ways. It not only provided local fresh produce to seniors but it was a vehicle for community involvement at a time when people were looking for a way to stay connected and help their neighbors. Kudos to Kristen & Chris for not only identifying a need but for finding an innovative solution.

Linda Pruyne

This is a great community service and Kristen deserves a lot of credit for getting it started. I hope it continues to grow and thrive!

 

K.W.