Since 2010, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue has partnered with local farmers, making it easy for them to share their surplus fresh, healthy produce and proteins with the food-insecure communities in which they live. Their many dedicated volunteers glean produce directly from the farm partners’ fields, help with pick-up and delivery from 35 farms and food producers, and assist with weekly distributions to more than 50 hunger relief sites. www.RollingHarvest.org
Rolling Harvest’s mission is to increase access to donated fresh produce and other healthy foods for area hunger-relief sites that serve the at-risk, food-insecure population by providing local farmers and food producers with free, effective delivery and distribution.
Being a part of Fresh Connect– a free farmer’s market that brings fresh, healthy food to our hungry neighbors in Bucks County, is one way that Rolling harvest fulfills their mission. Fresh Connect provides reliable and much needed food to the 57,000 Bucks County residents facing hunger, 32% of whom are children. With funding provided by United Way of Bucks County, Fresh Connect is a collaboration of Bucks County Opportunity Council, Philabundance, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue and St. Mary Medical Center.
Rolling Harvest Food Rescue’s role in the collaborative is to coordinate with Bucks County Opportunity Council to share the bounty from Rolling Harvest’s partner local farms and food producers. They also provide Nutrition Education on-site for Fresh Connect recipients, offering tasting samples of that week’s produce distributions, nutrition tips, and recipes in English and Spanish. Founder and Executive Director Cathy Snyder says, “Our farm partners love knowing that the nutritious produce they share is now going to benefit even more families in need in Bucks County.” Snyder added, “Based on feedback so far, it is so encouraging to see the enthusiasm with which our recipients greet the Fresh Connect model. It seems to be having such a positive influence on families’ overall health and enjoyment.”