New program helps people eat local produce while supporting Fresno farmers.

By Nadia Lopez (Nov. 25, 2021) - The pandemic has had disruptive effects on the Central Valley’s food system, exacerbating challenges for farmers struggling to grow and sell their crops. At the same time, the pandemic increased food insecurity and many of the region’s residents continue to face barriers to accessing healthy food.

In an effort to address these crises, a coalition of local nonprofits and community organizations launched an initiative last week aimed at providing thousands of under-resourced Fresno County residents with fresh, seasonal produce grown by the region’s Southeast Asian, Black, Laotian, Punjabi and Latino farmers.

The initiative is funded by Growing the Table, a statewide philanthropic organization that helps farmers achieve economic security and sustainability while increasing access to fresh produce for food-insecure residents. The organization’s mission is to support local community-based organizations in leading the food distribution drives.

The initiative aims to chip away at an entrenched paradox: While the Central Valley is one of the world’s agricultural centers, many Fresno families do not have sufficient access to the fresh food grown in their communities. Despite the Central Valley containing more than 1.4 million acres of productive pasture and farmland, hunger levels were 25% higher in Fresno in 2021 than in 2019, according to the Central California Food Bank in Fresno.

Read more at the Sacramento Bee.