The Easton Urban Farm, operated by the Easton Area Neighborhood Centers, is a 5/8-acre plot on which community volunteers grow vegetables, fruits, and seedlings for distribution to low-income residents of the city of Easton, Pennsylvania. In addition to providing an estimated 7,000 pounds of nutritious, locally grown produce to food-insecure families each year, the farm also teaches volunteers and other community members how to grow produce in any setting, including planters, backyards, and community gardens.
Food insecurity affects many residents of the Easton area, and the situation has been exacerbated by the health, financial, and emotional impacts of the pandemic. While many residents have received extended unemployment compensation benefits and enhanced SNAP payments, there are many others who do not qualify for these programs and must depend on the community for support. To get by, many families have become even more dependent on highly processed food items that are not healthy.
The Farm, with the Neighborhood Center’s food pantry and the Vegetables in the Community as distribution points, offers a nutritional supplement to Easton residents. The Farm harvests produce from May until December, meaning families can get at least some healthy foods free of charge for much of the year. The organization also offers personal hygiene items, diapers, and paper goods through the food pantry. This year’s project will support the growing of produce as well as the resumption of educational and internship programs following closure due to the pandemic. The project is expected to benefit 1,705 people, 675 of them women, and an estimated 700 children. Annually renewable project.
The Easton Urban Farm, operated by the Easton Area Neighborhood Centers, is a 5/8-acre plot on which community volunteers grow vegetables, fruits, and seedlings for distribution to low-income residents of the city of Easton, Pennsylvania. In addition to providing an estimated 7,000 pounds of nutritious, locally grown produce to food-insecure families each year, the farm also teaches volunteers and other community members how to grow produce in any setting, including planters, backyards, and community gardens.
Food insecurity affects many residents of the Easton area, and the situation has been exacerbated by the health, financial, and emotional impacts of the pandemic. While many residents have received extended unemployment compensation benefits and enhanced SNAP payments, there are many others who do not qualify for these programs and must depend on the community for support. To get by, many families have become even more dependent on highly processed food items that are not healthy.
The Farm, with the Neighborhood Center’s food pantry and the Vegetables in the Community as distribution points, offers a nutritional supplement to Easton residents. The Farm harvests produce from May until December, meaning families can get at least some healthy foods free of charge for much of the year. The organization also offers personal hygiene items, diapers, and paper goods through the food pantry. This year’s project will support the growing of produce as well as the resumption of educational and internship programs following closure due to the pandemic. The project is expected to benefit 1,705 people, 675 of them women, and an estimated 700 children. Annually renewable project.
