“Sally Quigley is not a farmer. But today, at a food distribution event in the parking lot of CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, she could fool anyone.
She looks down at a table heaping with butternut squash and recalls wistfully how she planted this squash and later got to harvest it. Today, she’s proud to hand it over to families that will eat it for dinner.
It is mid-October and Quigley is a regular volunteer with Rolling Harvest Food Rescue, a nonprofit organization that rescues produce that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to food pantries and food-insecure people throughout Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Hunterdon and Mercer counties.
Rolling Harvest’s food rescue operation is centered around gleaning—harvesting produce that farms aren’t able to sell, either because it’s surplus or because it doesn’t match customers’ aesthetic expectations.”
George Legette, left, a Second Baptist Church food pantry driver, takes a case of fresh produce from Ian Bell, a Rolling Harvest Food Rescue volunteer, during an emergency pop-up food distribution at Solebury Orchards, in Solebury Township, on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. [photo credit: Michele C. Haddon / Photojournalist]
Story by Marion Callahan, Bucks County Courier Times [link to story]
This past Thanksgiving, food pantry manager Kizzy Wright saw a sight she’s never witnessed.
“Our line was out the door. We’ve never experienced that demand — ever,” said Wright, who continues to see a surge in families turning to Bread of Life Community Pantry in Bristol for food.
The coronavirus has been the perfect storm for Bucks County neighbors trying to make ends meet. Facing job losses and unpaid bills, families who are feeling the economic fallout don’t have the money to pay for groceries. Spikes in homelessness have also created more demand at Bucks County food pantries.
“This pandemic has spared no ZIP code, almost no household,” said Cathy Snyder, founder and executive director of Rolling Harvest Food Rescue. She said food pantries in the region are experiencing a 40% hike in the number of families turning to them for help, and “many of them up until very recently were living very comfortable middle-class lives.
Jay Quilty, left, volunteer driver with Rolling Harvest Food Rescue, and Jamie McKnight, program and development director, load cases of whole cooked turkeys into a van during an emergency pop-up food distribution.[photo credit: Michele C. Haddon / Photojournalist]
Pantry managers, however, can’t fight hunger alone. Fortunately, Snyder said: “With a collaborative community response to hunger, they don’t have to.”
On Tuesday, pantry managers from across the region and from church ministries across the county headed to Solebury Orchards in Solebury to pick up crates of fresh vegetables, turkeys and toiletries provided during a food distribution pop-up event sponsored by Rolling Harvest Food Rescue and United Way of Bucks County.
Businesses including McCaffrey’s Market, Traugers Family Farm, Pennypack Farm and North American Produce Co. also pitched in, donating thousands of dollars in food and produce to help neighbors in need.
Wright said needs are greater than ever. Pantries had pivoted to deliver food to many elderly residents who are unable to venture out, she said. With kids home, mothers are unable to provide enough food for their household. After her trip to Solebury to load up on fresh produce and turkeys, Wright said the fresh donations will make a big difference to families in Bristol, she said.
“When you have an opportunity to get real good fresh vegetables, it’s amazing,” said Wright. “We don’t want to just give out pasta, sauce or junk. We want to give out good food.”
Mike Cerino, left, Warminster Food Bank president, Brian Dempsey, center, Lester Bahrt Food Bank co-director, and Ian Bell, a Rolling Harvest Food Rescue volunteer, carry cases of fresh produce.[photo credit: Michele C. Haddon / Photojournalist]
Loading boxes of Brussels sprouts and peppers into the bed of his pick up truck, Brian Dempsey, of Lester Barht Food Pantry in Fairless Hills, said the donations will bring a great deal of joy to those relying on donations for meals. “We take care of 350 to 450 a month from our pantry,” he said.
Looking at the flurry of activity, Snyder watched as volunteers loaded crates onto trucks and vans coming from all corners of the county. She lauded the generosity of businesses and groups that made the food pop-up possible.
Tuesday’s pop-up food event was made possible by a $5,000 COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant provided by United Way of Bucks County to Rolling Harvest, which purchased food for emergency feeding programs for pantries in Bucks County.
In total, with donations from McCaffrey’s Food Markets, area groups distributed $20,000 worth of whole cooked smoked Lancaster Farm turkeys. Rolling Harvest also provided pantries with Solebury Orchards apples and a variety of fresh seasonal produce gleaned from local Bucks County farms.
Snyder praised McCaffrey’s, a Bucks County-based supermarket, for donating its surplus of cooked turkeys and credited Solebury Orchards for offering storage space and a site for pick up and distribution of the food.
“Traugers Family Farm and Pennypack Farm went into the fields and harvested this — just for us,” she said. “It’s more important than ever that social service and nonprofit organizations join forces to accomplish solutions to a problem whose scale is well beyond the scope of one individual organization.”
Ian Bell, a Rolling Harvest Food Rescue volunteer, unloads cases of turnips and sweet potatoes from Trauger’s Farm during an emergency pop-up food distribution at Solebury Orchards, in Solebury Township, on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. [photo credit: Michele C. Haddon / Photojournalist]
Snyder said people are heading into the new year with even more uncertainty about their jobs, housing, and health. “The hardest hit seem to be those with children, and our neighbors from predominantly African-American and Latino communities,” she said.
Tim Philpot, the Bucks County United Way’s director of Financial Stability and Health, said that with support from Penn Community Bank, the United Way of Bucks County launched the Bucks County COVID-19 Recovery Fund in March to help area nonprofits meet their clients’ COVID related needs.
Initially, he said, basic needs like food, shelter, and PPE were primary targets. Since it began, the Recovery Fund has provided over $395,000 in the form of 76 grants to agencies in Bucks County, he said.
“We’re so pleased that Rolling Harvest was able to leverage our grant funding for greater impact. So many more people are food-insecure now than at this time last year,” said Philpot. “Dynamic partnerships like this will help ensure we can meet the increased need.”
Food pantries at Tuesday’s event included County Commons in Bensalem; Pennridge Community Center in Perkasie; Bread of Life Food Pantry in Bristol; Lester Bahrt Food Pantry in Fairless Hills; Warminster Food Pantry; Bux Mont Church in Warrington; Soulful Blessing in Bristol; Revivals Outreach Center and Food Pantry in Perkasie; Philadelphia PARX Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association in Bensalem; and the YWCA in Bensalem.
Grants will allow food banks, shelters and soup kitchens to cover the costs of equipment purchases necessary to prepare, transport and store food acquired from retailers, wholesalers, farms, processors and cooperatives. Examples of eligible equipment that will be funded include refrigerated or non-refrigerated box trucks, industrial-sized refrigerators, pallet jacks and/or dollies. Installation and shipping costs were also eligible for support.
Increased demand on the charitable food system related to COVID-19 has demonstrated an immediate need for resources to support additional cold storage space, and more flexibility and changes to this grant program. The changes made in April encouraged partnerships between nonprofit organizations such as food banks and farms, processors and cooperatives that continue to experience challenges within the food supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.
“Many people across the state are feeling the strain of losing jobs or other income related to the COVID-19 crisis, and this will help provide a safety net to ensure that our fellow Pennsylvanians are not going hungry,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “This program also helps ensure that our farmers are not in a position where they have to waste the food and dairy products grown on their farms because of market upheavals.”
“Our goal when expanding the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant was to quickly get money to the people that could do the most to help, and the charitable organizations of Pennsylvania responded,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “These grants will help guarantee food security to our residents that need it.”
“These grantees have demonstrated their commitment to feeding Pennsylvanians and simultaneously supporting agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “This grant program is our trifecta, a win-win-win for our commonwealth: allowing food banks to keep fresh produce and dairy stocked and provide it to those in need, eliminating food waste, and preventing losses for our hardworking farmers who have had to deal with so much uncertainty.”
The recipients of the 145 awards include food banks, soup kitchens and churches from across the commonwealth.
Based on the most recent survey in early May, Feeding Pennsylvania member food banks are reporting an average increase in demand of 55 percent over what they were seeing one year ago today. Unused or unsold food ends up in landfills, where it can biodegrade and release greenhouse gases like methane. The EPA estimates that in 2015 (the last year when information was available), more than 30 million tons of food waste went into landfills nationwide.
Funding for the grant was made available for Pennsylvania nonprofit organizations for grant assistance for the proper management and operation of food waste reduction pursuant to the Pennsylvania Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act of 1988, Act 101.
We would like to invite anyone in our community who finds themselves temporarily struggling to take care of their family’s basic needs. We are here for you!
Friday, May 1, 2020 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Our Lady of the Angels Parish, 540 Chestnut Ave., Trenton, NJ 08611, NJ (link to Google Map)
Please come and collect a box of delicious healthy local fruits, vegetables and dairy, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
No registration or ID is required.
We will be practicing safe social distancing. Volunteers will be outfitted with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
Drive Through: we will gladly load your box of food directly into your car’s trunk to minimize contact, OR walk up option for those without vehicles.
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.”
DAIRY FARMERS SEND TRUCKLOADS OF MILK TO FAMILIES IN NEED
NEWS PROVIDED BY: American Dairy Association North East Apr 15, 2020, 15:53 ET SYRACUSE, N.Y., April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/
Rising unemployment and school closures are putting added stress on America’s food pantries. As a result, food banks across the nation are being hit hard by complications of the coronavirus.
American Dairy Association North East and Dairy Farmers of America deliver 50,000 gallons of milk to families in need.
Two dairy farmer organizations have joined forces to get truckloads of milk to those in need. American Dairy Association North East , representing over 10,000 dairy farmers, and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national cooperative owned by dairy farm families across the U.S., has teamed up with Dean Foods processing plants across the Northeast to help deliver much needed milk to communities across the region.
“Fortunately, dairy farmers have not experienced a disruption in milk production, and there is no shortage of milk,” said Rick Naczi, CEO, American Dairy Association North East. “Milk is an essential item for nutritional wellbeing and meal preparation, especially for households with children. We’re doing everything we can to make sure families have access to milk.”
“As a dairy cooperative owned by family farmers across the country, we are dedicated to helping provide nutritious food for family tables,” said Jennifer Huson, Senior Director Marketing, Council Affairs and Industry Relations for DFA Northeast. “Knowing that millions of Americans are struggling right now to make ends meet and with food banks being a critical local resource to help feed those families, we knew that we had to figure out a solution.”
This week over 50,000 gallons of milk are being delivered to food pantries served by City Harvest of Queens, N.Y., Rolling Harvest Food Rescue serving Bucks County, Pa., and Mercer County, N.J., Share Food Program of Philadelphia, Pa., Fayette Food Bank of Republic, Pa., Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank of Pittston, Pa., Community Action Planning Council of Watertown, N.Y., Food Bank of Delaware in Newark, Del. and the Salvation Army in Syracuse, N.Y.
“We are so happy to be able to give such a valuable food item to our community and share with other food rescue partners,” said Jamie McKnight, Program & Development Director of Rolling Harvest Food Rescue. “This milk we be distributed by the end of the day and we will continue to schedule deliveries as long as there is a need.”
We would like to invite anyone in our community who finds themselves temporarily struggling to take care of their family’s basic needs. We are here for you! Saturday, April 18, 2020 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
American Legion, 322 North Union Street, Lambertville, NJ
Please come and collect a box of delicious healthy local fruits, vegetables and dairy, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
No registration or ID is required.
We will be practicing safe social distancing. Volunteers will be outfitted with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
DRIVE THROUGH ONLY, we will gladly load your box of food directly into your car‘s trunk or backseat to minimize contact.
