As farmers, we’re giving thanks for Kentucky’s Farms to Food Banks program | Opinion

Every year, families gather around their tables to celebrate Thanksgiving by sharing a home-cooked meal, baked with love. It’s a wonderful chance to see family and friends who live near or far and be reminded of the importance of having an attitude of gratitude.

For far too many families across Kentucky, putting food on the table is a daily struggle, and making a Thanksgiving meal is even more difficult. That’s why Feeding Kentucky is working with farms across the state to provide, fresh, nutritious food to families through its Farms to Food Banks program.

This program gives farmers like us a chance to donate excess crops and provide a family in need with healthy food. A lot of food in the field is not marketable to grocers because it doesn’t meet their size requirements. It’s good to eat, though! Farms to Food Banks connects Kentuckians with this good, healthy produce, helping us cut down on food waste and helping out our neighbors.

This year, the program enabled our farm to donate nearly 245,000 pounds of fresh produce and has been a win-win for our family farm and hungry families across the Commonwealth.

Farms to Food Banks began a little over a decade ago in 2011. We are so grateful to have been participating in this program for about four years and have had the opportunity to share our produce with other Kentuckians. We’ve been able to donate some of our fresh produce to God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington. As farmers, we want to grow something on our land and know we’re having an impact on our community. This program helps us do just that: grow produce and feed our family and community.

In 2022, Feeding Kentucky’s Farms to Food Banks program distributed more than 3 million pounds of fresh produce to food banks across the state, helping feed over 30,000 families struggling to put food on the table.

As a former teacher, I (Morgan) saw firsthand how hunger impacted our community, and as a mom, I know how important it is to provide our kids with a healthy meal. People are looking for fresh produce, and I (Jonathan) have seen that firsthand. When I’m on my way to a food bank to deliver fresh produce, sometimes I’ll hand out watermelons to people on the road who see me and ask for them. People want healthy food, and we get to share that with them.

This program is a vital part of Feeding Kentucky’s mission to end hunger in Kentucky because it not only connects families to food but also healthy, nutritious produce. Over 90% of households served by Feeding Kentucky’s members purchase unhealthy food because it’s expensive. They’re able to put some food on the table for their family, but it doesn’t have the nutritional value that they or their kids need to thrive.

Donations to the Farms to Food Banks program help cover the cost of harvesting, packaging and transporting donated agricultural products to the food banks or families. In turn, the produce is distributed to hungry Kentuckians throughout the state through the Feeding Kentucky network. Because of your donation, Feeding Kentucky helps us cut down on food waste and feed Kentuckians.

Just like a Thanksgiving meal, good food is at its best when it is shared with others. We are incredibly grateful for the tangible impact we have been able to make on others by donating our produce to Farms to Food Banks.

This Thanksgiving, we encourage you to support the Farms to Food Banks program and help ensure that everyone in Kentucky has access to the food they need for a healthy lifestyle. If you are a farmer and are interested in donating some of your crops, you can visit this website. If you would like to give back to Feeding Kentucky through a donation, visit feedingky.org.

Jonathan and Morgan Berkshire of Berkshire Farms in Glencoe, KY have participated in Feeding Kentucky’s Farms to Food Banks Program for nearly four years.