It’s easy to take fresh summer fruit for granted. Many of us go to the grocery store or farmers’ market and place our seasonal favorites into the basket without giving it much thought. This is not everybody’s reality, which is why the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano works hard to provide healthy food to our community members daily.
Farm 2 Kids is one way the Food Bank gets fresh food into the hands of people who need it the most. Children attending after-school programs within low-income schools are given 3-5 pounds of fruits and veggies weekly to share with their families. Farm 2 Kids continues to operate at after-school programs that are still in session even when school is out.
Thousands of children who receive free or discounted meals through their schools are at risk of going without food during the summer. To extend the reach of Farms 2 Kids during this vulnerable time, the Food Bank gives out fresh produce at schools, public libraries and community centers where the federal Summer Lunch Program is available.
Not only does this program nourish their growing bodies, but it allows children to try foods they couldn’t otherwise afford. A little girl in Fairfield told us they had never actually eaten a fresh pear before. She had only tasted canned pears and did not recognize the fruit in its natural form. We also learned of a boy at a Farm 2 Kids site in Vacaville who had only tasted a fresh nectarine once in their lifetime. His parents were not able to afford the sweet delicacy and they were all surprised and delighted when they received a bag FULL of nectarines.
You can make a difference to the children in our community by volunteering to bag produce in our Fairfield warehouse or making a financial gift to the Food Bank. Your investment in the development of our future generation will have a lasting effect on our society.
