Juicy oranges and bright green asparagus overflowed from a box of locally-grown produce that LISC's AmeriCorps member Lucretia Bobo handed to a local Richmond family. The boxes are being distributed as a result of the recently launched "Farm 2 Table" program, which provide fresh produce twice monthly to Richmond residents.
In a city with few stores selling fresh produce, Farm 2 Table is improving the accessibility and affordability of fruit and vegetables in Richmond as well as providing a local market for Eastern Contra Costa County farms. Prices remain affordable to lower income residents due to the program's unique pricing subsidies. The program accepts a variety of payment types, including checks, cash, and food stamps.
With childhood obesity impacting one out of every three children in Richmond, the highest rate in California, the Richmond Children's Foundation has partnered with Ecovillage Farm to bring fresh produce to the community. Concerned for public health, County Supervisors John Gioia and Mary Piepho are working with the foundation and other partners to support the program, and offer a more proactive approach to good health.
Shyaam Shabaka, Executive Director of Ecovillage Farm, emphasizes that by taking a "much more upstream, much more preventative" approach to health, the program will help prevent health threats, such as heart disease and type II diabetes. "Farm 2 Table illustrates how AmeriCorps members promote healthy communities while developing leadership skills," said Stephanie Forbes, the Executive Director of Bay Area LISC. The recent increase in federal funding for AmeriCorps is anticipated to triple the numbers of AmeriCorps volunteers working nationwide in the year ahead.
As the program moves forward, it will give local residents the opportunity to come together and share creative ideas on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in their diets. Ms. Bobo, the AmeriCorps member who is coordinating the program's launch said, "It's going to be more than just coming in and picking up your boxes... we're going to have a chef doing cooking demonstrations." By building a sense of community, program coordinators are expecting these activities will provide the glue to make the program a success.
For more information about the program and how to order a box, click here.
