The Farm to Heart Initiative has launched!
April Joy Farm CSA shares headed to Fruit Valley families have included broccoli, scallions, lettuce, spinach, arugula, green beans, cabbage, cilantro, parsley, mint, rhubarb, kohlrabi, turnips, carrots, radishes, beets, and more!
Dear Farm to Heart Family,
We wanted to take a moment to share what’s transpired since we first asked for your support last fall.
We have covered so much ground and the pandemic has only reinforced the importance of our work.
On May 27th we made our first delivery of 24 shares of April Joy Farm produce to 19 families in need. (Some of our recipients have very large/multi-generational families and are receiving a double share of produce to make sure they have enough to nourish everyone at their dinner table.)
Families are sent an email indicating all the choices available that week and they are able to select six produce items. We compile and custom harvest their shares and deliver the individually bagged shares to the Fruit Valley Family Resource Center each Wednesday afternoon.
Last Wednesday, as Brad was unloading shares, he was able to meet one grandmother. She expressed her thanks. Then Brad said, “Well, we hope the fresh food makes a difference.” Her eyes welled up with tears as she told him, “You have no idea.”
This is exactly why we are doing what we are doing.
And, we are so proud to report that our work has expanded beyond produce.
Since October, we have developed a number of relationships to strengthen the impact of our work.
We are now partnering with:
Clark County Public Health to provide program assessment and document the impact of our Farm to Heart project
Cook with What You Have to offer three years of free membership for all our families
Adelante Mujeres to provide (very soon we hope) online nutrition education and cooking classes in Spanish.
In addition, Iliamna Fish Company has pledged a discounted rate of 6 shares (that’s 126 pounds!) of Alaskan wild caught salmon for our families.
Earlier this year we were the first farm in the nation to partner with Animal Welfare Approved/A Greener World’s COVID-19 efforts to feed hungry families and we raised over $1,600! This money is being used to distribute 225 dozen April Joy Farm eggs directly to our Farm to Heart families.
Beyond these organizations rallying behind our cause, a number of individuals are contributing in significant ways to the Farm to Heart cause.
Lauren, with help from her mom Karen, put together a sweet welcome video since we could not give our families a proper farm tour due to the pandemic.
Staci, director of the Fruit Valley Family Resource Center is the best partner we could ever hope for. From the compassionate existing relationships she has nurtured with our families, to her fundraising prowess and her willingness to handle the distribution of our shares due to the pandemic, we are so grateful.
Phyllis continues to be instrumental in the planning and coordination of this project all while volunteering at the farm to help grow, harvest, and pack produce.
Jeanne keeps crafting seasonally appropriate, healthy, and budget-smart recipes tailored to our CSA offerings so we can provide timely menu ideas.
Judit and Maya each volunteered hours and hours to assist with translation of our program information into Spanish and Russian languages.
An anonymous donor provided funds to the Fruit Valley Family Resource Center to purchase sustainably produced pantry staples from Hummingbird Wholesale to supplement our weekly produce.
And one extraordinarily caring family in our network has generously donated their entire stimulus check to purchase April Joy Farm produce for distribution through the Fruit Valley Family Resource Center.
This creative and unique arrangement allows us to harvest and sell any excess produce at fair market value -- supporting the health and well being of our farm, reducing food waste before it starts, and providing even more families in need nutrient dense, certified organic produce.
What a game-changing donation for the Farm to Heart Initiative!
We have already been able to send over $700 worth of spinach, radishes, broccoli, lettuces, and many greens.
We hope more generous folks in our network will consider this opportunity. It truly makes an important impact on our farm viability while getting healthy foods onto the dinner tables of those facing food insecurity.
All we can say is WOW.
Who could imagine that only nine months ago Farm to Heart was simple a seed of a dream.
Because of YOU, all of this has become possible. We are moved and humbled by your belief in our ability to cultivate nourishing change, and WE ARE DOING IT!
What’s next?
We are excited that our summer crops are growing healthy and strong, because we can't wait to start sharing freshly harvested cherry tomatoes, lemon cucumbers and other delicious snack-able healthy produce with our Fruit Valley kids and their families.
With eighteen weeks remaining in our season, we're just getting started!
On the fundraising front, we have raised 20% of the $9,800 we need to continue our work in 2021.
Thank you for sharing this update widely and extending an invitation to all in your network who may be inspired to support our Farm to Heart Initiative.
We are now able to accept donations online.
OR
Mail contributions to:
Farm to Heart Initiative
c/o April Joy Farm
PO Box 973
Ridgefield, WA. 98642
We remain deeply committed to the stewardship of our community through acts of generosity and service great and small. Thank you for your bighearted kindness.
May our circle of care grow ever wider and deeper,
April, Brad and the Farm to Heart Team
Fruit Valley, Here We Are!
In early May, we loaded up freshly harvested spinach and arugula to deliver to our Fruit Valley families thanks to a special donation to support the purchase of our surplus produce for distribution to families in need. This is a fantastic way to help farmers, reduce food waste, and feed families facing food insecurity in our community. To find out more information about how this unique partnership works, please contact us.
“I cannot do all the good the world needs. But the world needs all the good I can do.”