She revealed that one of the conditions of the small USDA grant that it received is to write a white paper analyzing the program with a keen eye toward the ability to repeat it in other locations. Keller believes it does have applicability, especially in counties with a farming community. She said an added benefit to the program is that the collaborators have created an educational element to help introduce volunteer students to agriculture and to the possibility of a farming career. Kawamura agrees that the program can be replicated. He noted that there is available arable land in many locations, including land owned by universities and other educational institutions as well as government-owned parcels and private land. He said there are retired farmers happy to help and such a program can be used as an apprenticeship for young growers. He argues that it just needs the will of people and some forward- thinking collaborators to pull all the pieces together. For example, Orange County is mostly growing hardy crops for the Food Bank because cooling the production is not typically part of the process. If they could cool the product shortly after it is harvested (as is done with commercial production), that would increase the number of commodities that can be grown. Keller agreed, noting that addressing the cooler situation is on her wish list. She noted that food insecurity is a continuing issue, and the current
condition of rising prices across the board has her fearing that the number of people in need will continue to increase. “A significant portion of the population are only two to four paychecks away from needing our help,” she said. “A recession and a rise in unemployment will increase food insecurity in our country.” Keller added that so far donations to Second Harvest from institutions and foundations have not declined but the expense side of the ledger continues to rise. She noted that it is much more expensive than it was to fill up their 17 food bank trucks with gas so they can make their deliveries. “It’s not easy to run a non-profit right now,” she said, referring to higher prices for just about everything.
JULY | AUGUST 2 022
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