Thank You for Growing with Us!
By Jade Fisher, Communications Specialist
Volunteer Heidi poses with freshly cut and bagged bok choy
Yellowing fall foliage, fresh air, and the rich smell of soil. Under a beautiful sky on the very first day of autumn, I had the honor of joining Ysabel Diaz, our Senior Manager of Food Access, and our Harvest program in Snohomish at the Food Bank Farm.
Many hands made light work. We cut an abundance of bok choy, sought well-hidden zucchinis, pruned and harvested tomatoes, and more. Our dedicated team of eleven filled the van to the brim with an array of colorful produce.
It was satisfying and hard work. We started the day splitting into two groups. One group was in the hoop houses (a small tunnel-like greenhouse for cultivating crops) to prune and harvest gorgeous tomatoes just blushing red with ripeness, another group headed about a thousand feet away in the field to stoop low to grab an assortment of peppers. Then we came together for the bok choy, zucchini, and green onions. Periodically, pairs would break away to help pack corn into crates for transport.
Ysabel had very thoughtful processes for harvesting the food. To keep the bok choy fresher for longer, we used small scythe-like knives to carve out the vegetable at the crunchy root then individually bagged them. They also had us break long stems off the corn so we could fit more in the crates. The goal was clearly to have as much great quality, fresh produce in our market as possible.
As the sun found its way directly above us, we finished harvesting for the day. It was about noon and 71 degrees. Volunteer Heidi remarked, "It really gives you empathy for the people who do this work for a living."
Squinting to block the sun, volunteers gathered with Ysa in a circle to end the day with closing remarks. We shared highlights from the day or something we learned then led the group in a stretch. Ysa said the addition of stretches to the close-out circle made the world of a difference for the next day.
The freshly harvested goods were then transported to the food bank to immediately be placed on Community Market shelves, in the Kindness Cafe prep kitchen, and set aside for Home Delivery and Weekend Food For Kids packs.
Farmer Jim Eichner from the Food Bank Farm in Snohomish
With Ysabel’s leadership, our harvest program has grown incredibly in the last two years. Last year, the program harvested an impressive 28,803 pounds of food from the Food Bank Farm!
Having the option to grow and harvest produce is crucial in helping us sustain our services. Rising food costs and recent federal cuts to food benefits are part of the reason we’re seeing more and more folks visiting the food bank. With growing numbers and food getting more expensive, it’s important we diversify our food sources.
Farmer Jim Eichner of the Food Bank Farm also benefits! He said the farm is usually well taken care of by his dedicated groups of volunteers but summer can be tricky. With his usual folks on vacation, it can be difficult to harvest all the produce budding in the summer. So having Ballard Food Bank bring our own dedicated volunteers to the farm ensures this delicious produce finds a home.
This experience on the farm left me with a distinct feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for our important and often overlooked farmworkers who support our food system through arduous work all year round. Gratitude for our volunteers who’ve grown these beauties from seedling to the flowering produce we’re reaping in the fast-moving harvest season. And a recognition that all of this was made possible because we have a community of neighbors who care.
Your time is an invaluable gift you continuously lend to us to ensure our neighbors have food on the table. And the dollars you’ve generously donated to Ballard Food Bank contribute to the purchase of seeds, transportation costs to get these vegetables to our neighbors, and the salaries for dedicated staff members - like Ysabel - who bring a wealth of agricultural knowledge to the food bank.
Acknowledging all the ways we come together as neighbors cuts through the heavy noise of these troubling times. Thank you for believing that there CAN be enough for everyone.