Collaborations feed body and mind
Feeding ourselves, and our neighbors, is at the heart of humanism. We can do this by cooking, but we begin by farming and sharing. This is essentially the mission of The Hunger Coalition, which strives to end hunger in the community by providing wholesome food to those in need and by promoting solutions to the underlying causes of hunger through collaboration, education and advocacy.
Seeking to address the issues with more than just food drives, the Bellevue-based 501(c)(3) developed a community garden in 2010 in downtown Hailey. Called The Hope Garden, it provides fresh produce, volunteer opportunities, plots, and education about food and farming, and it’s been a roaring success.
Now, they go a step better. The Hunger Coalition broke ground June 21 for the Bloom Community Farm, in Quigley Canyon just east of Hailey. Food production manager and Bloom Farm manager Lynea Petty has worked this land with summer help from Ned Tomlinson from Crested Butte, Colo., who also works for CK’s Real Food restaurant in Hailey. The farm will grow more for The Hunger Coalition’s food bank, and will address some of the needs laid out in the Blaine County Food Assessment, which was released earlier this year.
From a piece of waterless, dormant property, Petty and Tomlinson tore up a half-acre of land, built fences, laid down irrigation, built rows and planting sections for everything from pollinating perennials and beehives to carrots, greens, squash and cover crops.
The farm will start as a pilot program and increase to 1.5 acres in subsequent years. There are a total of five acres available for future use thanks to Quigley Farm, which leases the land for $1 per year to The Hunger Coalition.
Modeled on existing successful programs across the country, such as Garden City Harvest in Missoula, Mont., Volunteering for Veggies, Discount Mobile Markets for seniors, and sliding-scale Community Supported Agriculture, Bloom Community Farm will help The Hunger Coalition craft new programs to meet the changing needs of individuals and families in Blaine County.
“These types of programs provide multiple avenues for community members to access the healthy food they deserve,” Petty said.
The Bloom truck’s motto, “ Feed your body – Feed your mind,” addresses the second piece of the project. In partnership with The Community Library, four times a week the Bloom truck makes stops at four different locales in the Valley; in Carey, at Bellevue City Park, in the Meadows, and in the North Fork neighborhood north of Ketchum.
These are populations of children who’re isolated from recreation and looking for ways to engage, learn and have lunch, Petty said.
Al McCord, from the Wood River Sustainability Center, in Hailey, is making more than 50 lunches per day for these kids, and for those at the Lunch in the Park program at Balmoral Apartments in Hailey.
With the addition of the Bloom truck, The Hunger Coalition’s Summer Food Program fed 95 percent more kids this June compared to the prior year. As well, 16 local partner organizations jumped on board to provide free activities, including Blaine County 4-H, the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, and the Sawtooth National Forest.
The Wood River Women’s Foundation provided an overall grant of $27,000, with $18,180 going to The Hunger Coalition and $8,820 to The Community Library for the Bloom truck project.
“The farm is equally important for the youth work we want to do,” Petty said. “The aim is to prevent them from being clients of The Hunger Coalition in the future, to make healthy food available for everyone, and to grow community around food.”
The Hunger Coalition’s Board President Harry Weekes, one of the three leasers of Quigley Farm, along with Dave Hennessey and Duncan Morton, feels these partnerships are key to their long-range plans.
“There are multiple levels where the Bloom Farm comes into Quigley Farm,” he said. “We hope it elevates our community. The Hunger Coalition, obviously, because it provides food. It’s already zoned agriculture so they could grow right away. We’ve worked with the Blaine County Rec District on what trail systems we might do, and we’re talking to the school district about more playing fields. What are these natural partnerships?”
Weekes added that the format for Quigley Farm’s future will be arranged around neighborhoods, with recreation, food production, education, multiuse buildings and wellness. He hopes that the independent Sage School will eventually move there, too.
“Seeing these partners come together – that convergence, that magic – is what you’re hoping to create. Seeing how well the Bloom truck is doing, just this summer, other ideas are percolating out.”
In fact, in its first month on the road, through Bloom, 134 children have gotten new library cards, and have checked out 532 books.
“The Bloom truck opens up such wonderful opportunities to impact lives,” said Jeanne Liston, executive director of The Hunger Coalition. “Reaching kids in isolated neighborhoods with nourishing food feeds young bodies. The added partnership with The Community Library is feeding young minds. Both are critical in helping children blossom and grow.”
The Hunger Coalition will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Bloom Farm in October during Idaho Hunger Awareness Month.