Posted Apr 16, 2020
By Brandon Gould | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
In less than 48 hours, it all came together.
A truckload of produce, dairy and other items sparked the initiative and gave Rolling Harvest Food Rescue what it needed to quickly set up a an emergency free farm market in Lambertville earlier this month.
With just two days notice, the word spread in a hurry.
The organization handed out food that went to feed more than 1,000 people.
Rolling Harvest Food Rescue helped deliver food to families in need during a free farm market in Lambertville earlier this month .
“We’ve been doing these year-round in Bucks County, but this one was able to benefit the New Hope-Lambertville area,” said Rolling Harvest Food Rescue Founder and Executive Director Cathy Snyder. “People came from all over once the word got around. It kind of went viral. It was supposed to be from 11 to 1, but we started at a quarter of 11 because there were so many cars backed up already.”
One of the volunteers on April 4 in Lambertville, Evan Lide, said what he saw that day was both “heartwarming and devastating.” He made a donation afterward and told Snyder he was willing to do whatever it took to help set up another free farm market.
“I was so proud of what we did on Saturday, but when I went home, I told my wife what I had seen. And I cried,” Lide wrote to Snyder in an email. “Why is that? It’s because of what I saw in these people’s faces. It was fear. It was the fear of not knowing how they will provide for their families. It was the fear of not knowing how they will get through this, or even if they will get through this.”
These services haven’t just popped up recently, but the impact of organizations like Rolling Harvest Food Rescue have become crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millions of people around the country have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment with the closure of non-essential businesses. The closure of schools has also had a big impact and increased the need for help from food pantries and free farm markets like the one Rolling Harvest Food Rescue put together in Lambertville.
“So much of the face of hunger right now in this country are kids, especially now with these kids being out of school and not having access to reliable breakfast and lunch,” said Snyder. “It’s a position that a lot of people never thought they’d be in, asking for help to feed their family and feed their family well.”
Rolling Harvest Food Rescue is working to put together more emergency free farm markets that will soon be taking place in New Jersey. The organization has partnered with New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger to make sure it can do it “bigger and better” the next time around and feed even more families.
These farm markets are open to anyone struggling to take care of their family’s basic needs. No registration or I.D. is required to come and collect food. Volunteers will practice safe social distancing and will be outfitted with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
Zone 7, Solebury Orchards, Bright Farms, Fulper Family Farmstead, Shady Brook Farms and Dairy Farmers of America have all helped and been a part of Rolling Harvest Food Rescue’s effort to provide food to families in need. Donate to Rolling Harvest Food Rescue here.
“Every non-profit is going through so much demand for basic services than we ever could have imagined,” Snyder said. “For Rolling Harvest Food Rescue, being able to respond to the need and quickly scale up with donations, we’ve had to change the model because there are so many people in need. It’s really been sobering and humbling and we’re all trying to do the best we can.”
