Food Share is a Rapid City program that sends volunteers to local farmers markets at the end of market day to purchase at a discount unsold produce. That produce—mostly fresh vegetables and some fruit—is delivered to an agency that serves low-income people. This year the program began on June 4 and ended on October 29.

The success of the 2011 Food Share program far exceeded the expectations of those who created it. We raised more money, purchased more food, and received more donated food than we ever expected, and every cooperating agency we approached wanted to work with us.

Food Share raised $2908.60 in donations. $1867.80 came from Democracy in Action, $500 came from the 9^th District Medical Alliance, individual contributors wrote checks for $440, and $104.98 was collected in the donation jar at the Black Hills Farmers Market.

Members of the Black Hills Farmers Market were strong supporters of the program. Most produce farmers participated, and many gave us very good deals. Three Rapid City volunteers did the shopping: Jeanette Keck, Barbara Cromwell, and Shirley Frederick. These people donated their vehicles and gas for the transportation. The original plan called for shopping on Saturdays only, but there was so much unsold produce on Tuesdays and Thursdays that we went to shopping three days a week. In order to keep going we had to do continued fundraising through the summer.

The two agencies that were given the most food are Feeding South Dakota (the Food Bank) and Church Response, an association of local churches that assists the needy. Smaller amounts went to Cornerstone Mission, Western South Dakota Community Action, and two groups that cook food for the homeless and serve it in a Rapid City park. The total amount of food delivered was 7826 pounds.

We plan to continue the program next year, raise more money, and include Western South Dakota Community Action in a more active way.

Those of you who are regular readers of our posts know that we consistently advocate for consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, grass fed beef and buffalo, milk and cheese, fish, poultry, eggs from pastured chickens, beans, nuts and seeds. It’s easy to promote these foods. It’s not so easy to create meals of these foods when you are on a limited budget.

Harold Storsve, in the August newsletter of Western South Dakota Community Action addresses this disconnect. Specifically he writes about the conflict between the new USDA nutrition guidelines and the cost of  healthy food. For the article he created a menu for four with a mix of fresh vegetables, quality breads, low-fat milk, fruit, fish, (tuna sandwiches), chicken and yams. It cost $32.23 per day, or $11,731 a year. This is twice what a family of four on Food Stamps is eligible for.

Other studies reach similar conclusions. You can read about them here and here.

This is a fundamental problem with no easy answers, a problem we at DLFN think about every day. Our Food Share program is a start, but it is not enough. We must find ways to restructure our local economy so that everyone in our community can eat well, be well, and have healthy children.

We will address this again in future posts. Meanwhile, those of you concerned about this quandary, send us your thoughts.

The Rapid City Food Share Program set a record on September 2. On that day 683 pounds of fresh wholesome local fruits and vegetables were loaded into my car destined for needy people in the area. This is a far cry from the 2.5 pounds of spinach we purchased June 4, the first day of the Black Hills Farmers Market.

Food Share is a program created this year by Barb, Tonya, and Shirley of the Dakota Local Food Network. The purpose is to buy at half price unsold perishable produce at the end of the BHFM sale days. Farmers do not want to take this food home and throw it on the compost pile. They raised it as food for people and they want it eaten and enjoyed by people, even though the cows and the chickens would like it, too.

While Food Share offers to pay farmers for the produce, many local growers donate food to the program. Weekdays FS delivers the produce to the Food Bank, Church Response, and to individuals who cook and serve food to needy people in the park. On Saturdays very ripe melons and tomatoes that won’t last till Monday are delivered to the Cornerstone Mission. Or, if I need my car on Sunday, everything goes to the Mission on Saturday.

Fresh local produce is welcome at all the agencies we serve. One volunteer at the Food Pantry, a division of the Food Bank, compared the dried-out days-old sweet corn from Wal-Mart with the just-picked-today tomatoes we brought in from the farmers market and said, “These tomatoes don’t even know they’ve been picked—they’re that fresh.” Pantry clients are invited to take all the fresh fruits and vegetables they will eat and often what is donated in the morning is gone by the end of the day.

Food Share receives funds from several sources. Democracy in Action, a local grassroots women’s action group, and the Ninth District Medical Alliance provided the major share of the funding this year. In addition, there have been multiple individual donors, including those who drop loose change in the jar at the information booth at BHFM.

To date 4665 pounds of produce have been donated to agencies and individuals and $1705.37 has gone to local farmers. Every donated cent goes to buy food. Volunteers do the fundraising, purchasing, record keeping, storage, and transportation.

As we left the Food Pantry yesterday Leigh the manager said with a sigh, “I don’t know what we’re going to do at the end of the summer…”

Dale Casteel, who gardens near Rapid City and Sturgis and sells at the Black Hills Farmers Market, wants all his food to be eaten by people. For that reason he has donated food to the Rapid City Food Share program every day the market has been open. “I don’t want to put it in the compost pile. I want to find a home for it,” he says. He goes on to explain that the day after the market there will be more vegetables to pick, so he doesn’t want to take any home. Speaking of the unsold cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini he says, “I’d rather see people eat it than throw it in the garbage.”

Members of the Food Share program raise funds, buy discounted produce at the BHFM at the end of the sales day, and donate it the Food Bank, the Cornerstone Mission, Church Response and other groups that provide food for low income people.

Speaking of the agencies Food Share works with Dale said, “I happen to know these places don’t give away a lot of produce.” The reason, of course, is that funding is limited and packaged foods and outdated baked goods are a lot cheaper than fresh tomatoes, melons, and sweet corn.

Casteel’s award was announced at the Second Annual Local Food Festival in Rapid City on August 28. He will be receiving a gift certificate to Dakota Thyme, a downtown restaurant featuring local food that is expected to open in November.

Dakota Local Food Network readers have seen in recent days several posts on feeding the hungry in our area. We started with “Meet Jed” and followed with posts on the Cornerstone Rescue Mission, the Food Bank, and Food Stamps. As you have seen from these posts, fresh produce is in short supply at the Food Bank because of its perishable nature. We have learned that the Mission buys from the Food Bank and leans toward foods that weigh less—baked goods, pasta, and rice–because they pay an 18 cents a pound handling fee, so they might pass over the heavy canned vegetables and take instead the macaroni and cheese.

Jed, whose Food not Bombs program shares vegetarian food in the park on Wednesdays, buys vegetables nearing the end of their useful life but might not be able to afford fresh leaf lettuce or tomatoes.

Food stamps, now known as Electronic Benefit Transfer or EBT, in October 2010 paid an average of $103 a month to elderly people living alone, and it’s not easy to buy fresh produce on a budget that low.

Enter Food Share: This is a program that combines the fundraising abilities and volunteers of three organizations to provide fresh local produce to low income people. Funded by the Ninth District Medical Alliance and Democracy in Action and organized by DLFN, volunteers for this program purchase unsold produce from the Black Hills Farmers Market at the end of market day and deliver it to an agency or group that serves low income people. The goal is threefold: to promote good nutrition and health, to support local farmers, and to provide quality food to low income people.

June 4, 2011, was the startup date for this program. In the first five weeks of its existence volunteers have purchased 175 pounds of fresh tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, and onions and donated them to two agencies and two informal feed-in-the-park groups. The program will continue until the end of October or until the donated money runs out, whichever comes first.

Anyone wishing to donate to the program may drop your loose change in the jar at the information booth of the BHFM on Saturdays or contact Shirley Frederick at 348-0208.