Author: David Davis
Planning Unit: Clark County CES
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Plan of Work: Horticulture, Livestock, Forages, Agriculture
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Choosing to consume fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the best decisions for an individual’s health. However, fresh fruits and vegetables are relatively expensive, keeping some families in Clark County from being able to choose to purchase them. This is especially the case for some families that struggle meeting basic living needs because of a limited income. Many Clark County residents struggle to even provide these basic necessities for their families. In 2019, Clark County Community Services (CCCS) provided feeding assistance on average to nearly 3,000 families each month. In addition, they may also assist 900 or more individuals that are mostly Senior Adults. To increase access to fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables for these families and individuals, First Christian Church (FCC) of Winchester has been assisting CCCS by implementing “Plant a Row for the Hungry”. This program encourages home gardeners to plan and extra row of vegetables specifically for the purpose of donating them to be distributed to families and individuals receiving assistance through CCCS. Even with assistance from this program, donations of fresh fruits and vegetables were 10% or less of what was actually needed to serve the families and individuals. In the spring of 2018, Clark County Cooperative Extension Service became aware of the need help generate even more donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to CCCS. Clark CES assisted in these efforts by educating the public about “Plant a Row” through newsletter articles, newspaper articles, radio articles, and displays at farmers market special events such as “Kids Bucks Day”. In addition, the Plant a Row effort was shared with gardeners that attended annual traditional, raised bed, and container gardening classes conducted by Clark CES. Clark CES also initiated the “Feed the Hungry in Clark County” program at the Winchester Clark County Farmers Market. In this program, a Clark County Master Gardener picked up donations from farmers at the end of each Saturday market to donate. Farmers were encouraged to donate fruits and vegetables that would go to waste, or not be marketable by the next day the market was open. These donations were taken to supplement Plant a Row at CCCS. In all, efforts of the Clark County CES helped increase donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to CCCS through Plant a Row when compared to previous years. As of October 30, 2018, CCCS had received 121 pounds of donated fresh fruits and vegetables through that program. They also received an additional 113 pounds through Feed the Hungry in Clark County. These two programming efforts were a great start, but the need is much larger. They will be continued in the future, and efforts will be made to increase donations so that even more families can have access to locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables.
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