Families gather tomatoes, peppers to donate to food bank
The Comstock Community Farm on Aug. 19 had some pint-sized
volunteers who picked row crops that seemed custom-planted just for
them
– cherry tomatoes.
A group of preschool students and their parents were in the mix
of volunteers who helped with the first harvest day of the season
for the community farm, which was created by Flora Salinas and her
family. Salinas had three generations of family members helping out
along with the volunteers, including a son, a daughter-in-law, a
grandson and her 3-year-old granddaughter, who walked through the
rows.
Families gather tomatoes, peppers to donate to food bank
The Comstock Community Farm on Aug. 19 had some pint-sized volunteers who picked row crops that seemed custom-planted just for them – cherry tomatoes.
A group of preschool students and their parents were in the mix of volunteers who helped with the first harvest day of the season for the community farm, which was created by Flora Salinas and her family. Salinas had three generations of family members helping out along with the volunteers, including a son, a daughter-in-law, a grandson and her 3-year-old granddaughter, who walked through the rows.
“It’s gone very well,” said Salinas, of the first year the family has asked for volunteer help to grow and harvest more crops. “I’m very pleased with the progress we’ve made.”
Even with the young helpers, the group was able to harvest more than 340 pounds of tomatoes and peppers, much of which was donated to the Community Food Bank.
Demetra Stamm and her daughter Joy Wallis were among the volunteers. Stamm said Joy, 19 months, doesn’t normally like tomatoes but she had been picking them off the plants to eat.
“I like her being out in the garden and seeing different vegetables,” Stamm said. “It feels good to contribute.”
For Stamm, she said she also likes the chance to show her daughter how important volunteering and helping in the community can be.
The community farm idea started three years ago, when Salinas and her family decided to plant some crops near her home off Fairview Road. They donated the surplus to the Community Food Bank. This year, they decided to expand the operation by asking for volunteer help, starting in April when they planted the first batch of starters from Headstart Nursery. They received donations of plants from the nursery.
Lupe Figueroa, Salinas’ daughter-in-law, said last year they planted four rows of tomatoes and a couple rows of bell peppers.
This year they have 18 rows, which include tomatoes, bell peppers, chile peppers and even some flowers.
“All of this is ¾ of an acre,” Figueroa said, adding that the family also has some fruit trees that they harvest. “We donated the fruit and most of the food is for the Community Food Bank.”
They started out the year with 40 volunteers helping out with planting the starters, and have had a dozen regular volunteers who have continued to help through the season. Many of the volunteers are families with young children or teenagers completing community service hours for high school requirements.
“We wanted to open it for education,” Figueroa said. “They learn about healthy eating – where the food comes from. How it grows from a seed and it comes up.”
On the morning of the harvest, a dozen parents and preschool students were present. The kids helped themselves to tomatoes off the vine as they placed others in boxes for donation.
“When (my daughter) was 2 she thought it was candy because they are so sweet to eat,” Figueroa said.
She said that she and her family, including her husband Gerardo Salinas, work a couple hours a day a few days a week, and then hold volunteer days twice a month.
“It’s a lot of work,” Figueroa said.
Salinas said that she has ideas about how to expand the operation, and next year she would like to build some raised beds. The idea is that with raised beds they could invite seniors out to help with those and it would be more accessible for people who can’t get down low with the row crops.
Volunteers can take a bag of produce home for their families and the rest goes to the clients of the Community Food Bank.
“We haven’t had any (tomatoes or bell peppers) yet so we are excited,” said Mary Anne Hughes, the executive director of the Community Food Bank. “They’ve started talking about what to do next year. There are a few grant opportunities for community gardens and for fresh food.”
Hughes said that the Community Food Bank has received some fresh produce throughout the summer, especially mixed lettuce kits. They traded with some food banks in the valley for potatoes and onions.
“We’ve been getting quite a bit this year,” Hughes said. “We are doing well. That’s the stuff you can’t afford on a low-income budget. It’s the most expensive stuff in the store, almost.”
The delivery of the tomatoes and peppers will help boost the vegetable offerings at the food bank. Hughes said she hopes to continue working with the Salinas family to expand the farm through grant funding. Salinas said she wants to focus on the raised beds this winter, and continue to offer an educational component for children.
“The kids are learning about doing for other people,” Salinas said. “The spirit of volunteering will be a way of life.”
