Under-Resourced Marin Communities Receive Food Aid From Local Farms

As the pandemic continues to strain Bay Area food banks, Growing the Table has partnered with the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), Performing Stars of Marin, and ExtraFood to launch a 10-week pilot program to feed thousands of under-resourced families and help financially support local farms owned by people of color and women. In just two weeks since the Marin launch in early January, Growing the Table has so far delivered 7,500 pounds of fresh, often regenerative and organic produce from 10 local farms and served more than 500 food-insecure families and older adults. 

“In a county suffering from significant wealth disparity, Growing the Table is addressing food insecurity in Marin by putting small and diverse farmers and partners at the heart of the solution,” said Kat Taylor, Founder of Growing the Table. “Together, we’re working to strengthen our food system’s connective tissue to be more inclusive and sustainable so that we can build back from the pandemic healthier and stronger.”

Despite being home to some of the most nutritious produce in the world, Marin’s rate of food insecurity is 12.2 percent, nearly double what it was before the pandemic began. The region has a reputation for being a wealthy (and healthy) community, but it’s also known as one of the most inequitable counties in California. Economic differences within the county reveal stark disparities in life expectancy and median income, with issues being most prevalent within communities of color in Marin City, San Rafael, Novato, and West Marin. 

Performing Stars of Marin, a 30-year-old community organization based in Marin City, provides enrichment opportunities for low-income and vulnerable children throughout the county, and is now serving as a distributor of fresh, regeneratively and organically farmed fruits and vegetables in the local community through the Growing the Table partnership. 

“Performing Stars is very excited about this partnership with Growing the Table to provide fresh organic produce from small farms and ranches to our Marin City residents, many who are from low-income families with children; seniors & disabled residents on fixed incomes; and residents who have been impacted by the COVID19 Pandemic.” said Felecia Gaston, CEO of Performing Stars of Marin. ”The seasonal vegetables and fruits are so super delicious and are good and nutritious for the human body.”

AIM, which operates certified farmers’ markets with hundreds of small to midsize farmers across California, sources and packs their Bounty Boxes for the Growing the Table program. AIM sources from local farms like Marin Roots Farm, a certified organic 35-acre farm that specializes in growing lettuces, leafy greens, and root vegetables, and Ledesma Family Farm, a certified organic 60-acre farm owned and operated by Javier Ledesma, a Mexican immigrant, who grows organic salad greens, fruits, and vegetables. 

“Our goal is to fight hunger and keep small farmers in business during Covid-19. Small farmers lost 90-100 percent of their restaurant accounts in response to Shelter in Place orders, and Growing the Table provides a much-needed economic stimulus to our local producers,“ said Andy Naja-Riese, Chief Executive Officer of Agricultural Institute of Marin. “In partnership with 10 farmers — most of whom are women, immigrants, Latinx, or Asian, and who use climate-smart practices — we will be curating a total of 2,500 Bounty Boxes (that’s 37,500 pounds of farmers market produce!) over the next 10 weeks to nourish families and older adults in Marin.”

ExtraFood, a food recovery organization that identifies the food needs of Marin’s most vulnerable people and sources donations of excess food matching those needs, is assisting with packing and is delivering these fresh food boxes to safety net partners throughout the county. 

“For ExtraFood, everything starts with the needs of people in our community who worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Marv Zauderer, Founder and CEO, ExtraFood. “Right now, there is far more need and far more worry. We are hearing from older adults who cannot cook for themselves and cannot leave home. We are hearing from parents whose kids no longer get the meals they received at school. And we are hearing from families who have lost their jobs. The Growing the Table program is helping us get some of the best food in the world to people hit hardest by the crisis, and to live our ongoing commitment to food justice by increasing equitable access to healthy, fresh food.”

In addition to Performing Stars of Marin, safety net partners include: EAH Housing, Enriching Lives through Music and Solidaridad Guatemalteca.