Divinity Lutheran Social Ministry committee members received
a grant for $43,000 for Redeemer Crisis Center in Cleveland, OH which is one of
the Hunger Network Centers. In
this grant $12,000 is available for fresh fruits and vegetables and baby
formula. Buying the baby formula
is not a problem but the logistics of getting the best available garden produce
to our clients became a bigger problem than one might imagine. Lettuce for example does not weigh much
and would be quite easy to transport to the center. Then we thought about watermelons and our need for 500 of
them and also fresh corn which would be a shipment of 3000 ears. The center does not have a truck and rental
is expensive seeing we would need shipment for 22 prime weeks of the growing
season.
Praying on the matter and talking to a friend was the next
step in the process of solving the problem. My friend introduced me to Fresh Fork Markets which began in
2007 by four Western Reserve Students in an Entrepreneurship Education
Consortium. They were challenged
to come up with a business idea that was viable for northeast Ohio. The president is Trevor Clutterbuck who
originally planned on being a lawyer instead is managing a Community Supported
Agricultural subscription program which has grown to over 1000 people receiving
bags of locally grown food during the 22 week growing season. Their mission is to provide locally grown food from 100 farmers in our area to the consumer when it is fresh, ripe, and of the highest quality.
Talking to Trevor he came up with a plan that Redeemer
Crisis Center will for 22 weeks starting in June until November weekly receive
the best of Ohio locally grown fruits and vegetables. Fresh Fork Market will
also donate to the center if they have overages of food after filling their
subscription baskets It is
really a miracle that we will be able to provide the poor in our area the first
fruits of the harvest. The food
will be used to provide healthy lunches served at noon during the seven week
program for children, take home fruits and vegetables for the 70 children who
attend the Bible School, and as nutritious additions to the bags of food given
to families on a monthly basis. Instead of only boxes and cans will be the abundance of the
harvest to enrich their diet and their lives. In addition, Fresh Fork Market will partner with us on programs on cooking, recipe suggestions, and assist us in our efforts to continue this program when the grant money is no longer available.
This is a win-win situation with the poor receiving nutritious food and our community benefiting by putting $12,000 into the local economy to support employment in our own geographic area. Thanks to Concordia Lutheran Ministries
Foundation for providing us the funds to make this dream a reality for us.
