Veronica Mazariegos-Anastassiou doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to grow collard greens. Though the growing conditions on the 40-acre farm she co-owns are ideal for collards, the demand for the vegetable typically isn’t there.
But thanks to your support, collards and other culturally-inclusive vegetables have made their way onto her planting schedule – and onto your neighbors’ tables!
“It’s been fantastic for us to learn that something that we’re really good at growing is finding a home,” Veronica shares. Over the spring and summer, we partnered with our peer food banks across the Bay Area to purchase collard greens, bok choy, and cilantro from eight small California farms, including Brisa Ranch.
Our neighbors have shared that these vegetables aren’t just nutritious and tasty – they are connections to their cultures. Everyone deserves to be able to make the dishes that comfort and nourish them during tough times. By listening to our neighbors and working with partners like Brisa Ranch, we’re able to ensure your support does just that!
Because our food banks ordered ahead, our farm partners were able to plant crops knowing they would find a home after harvest. That’s not always guaranteed for small farmers.
“A lot of the time we’re just kind of going with what we think we will be able to sell,” Veronica says.“You put in all the work to grow the seed or the plant, knowing very well that you can have to till it all under because you couldn’t find a buyer.”
By working together, our local farmers can get the predictability that helps them grow and sustain their businesses, and our neighbors can have access to the foods that nourish their spirits as well as their bodies – a win-win!
At the end of this pilot program, we’ve learned some important lessons. Most importantly, collaborations like these can work! While the future of government funding for local food purchasing at the federal level is uncertain, with your help, we can continue to find sustainable, resourceful ways to bring our neighbors the foods they cherish … all while supporting our local farms and our local economy.
Read more from At the Table
Our fall newsletter is all about celebrating your homegrown hunger wins. Lean how you’re making a difference for neighbors like Todd in Concord, or read the full newsletter here.