Farm Fresh Program Expanding to All Member Agencies
In today’s world, nutrition plays a critical role in combating food insecurity. Providing food insecure individuals with healthier food resources can reduce medical issues and lead to better long-term outcomes. Over the last three years, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank team has been focused on growing its nutrition programs to reach more people with healthier food options.
Farm Fresh Distributions is one such program. It was created with a commitment to increase the availability of fresh, nutritious, and culturally relevant produce for our neighbors. Fresh produce is delivered to Food Bank member agencies across 11 parishes who either have the capacity for cold storage or can distribute the food that same day to clients in need due to lack of refrigeration.
The Food Bank Impact and Operations team set an ambitious goal back in 2022 aiming to double the number of agencies participating in the Farm Fresh Program. In the first year alone, total fresh produce offerings increased by 25%.
In 2023, the Impact team was able to ramp up fresh produce distributions to over 2.5 million pounds of fruits and vegetables – an annual growth rate of 35%. The food procurement strategy also evolved that year to focus on a balanced menu, aiming to strike a balance between cost savings and nutritional value.
By the end of 2023, 17% of the overall food distributed by the Food Bank was fresh produce. For 2024, the Food Bank is on track to distribute 2.8 million pounds – which would raise the amount of fresh produce to 21% of total food distributed for the year.
Being able to source nutritious food is a large component of success. Through partnerships with Nourish Louisiana/Feeding Louisiana, the state collaborative overseeing the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), your Food Bank will be able to source and provide locally grown produce through June of 2025 to help build capacities of local, small, and socially disadvantaged farmers.
The long-term strategic vision is to provide food insecure communities with more than just food. The aim is to provide more nutritious options, recipes, education, and additional support for exploring healthier lifestyles. The commitment to expanding access to fresh produce exemplifies a dedicated effort to empower neighbors and promote long-term food security.
Meet the Team: Stella Robinson
