Local Nonprofit Starts “Veggie Drive” to Bring Healthy Produce to Families in Need During The Holiday Season

MCS Staff November 12, 2023 at 9:55am

Community FarmShare, a small nonprofit based out of Poolesville, MD, had the idea to start a “Veggie Drive” as a way to bring healthy fresh produce to families via food assistance providers this season of giving. When often the only option for food drives is non-perishables, Community FarmShare thought of a way to make healthy farm-fresh options possible too.

Within an hour of the Veggie Drive going live, Community FarmShare saw an incredible response and had to quickly circle back with their farm partners (all local farms) to see if they could add more inventory to keep up with the demand. The community has shown that it is interested in supporting local farmers (and their stories) and helping our more vulnerable county residents get healthy, fresh produce for their holiday meals- something Community FarmShare founder Jenny Freeman refers to as a win-win for farmers and families.

Community FarmShare has partnered with Montgomery County food providers to distribute fresh produce to local communities. Each week CFS will review orders from donors and deliver produce to the respective food assistance providers. Please visit their website to learn more:

“Residents living on low income with less access to healthy food options face higher risks of diet related chronic disease… and our local farmers grow the best nutrient dense produce in the county” Freeman says. “…and others with financial resources in the community have a real interest in making that link happen between farm fresh and healthy meals for all through their veggie drive purchases. The produce ordered on our online market is still in the ground. On Sunday evening, I’ll send the farmers their orders; Monday they harvest; Tuesday we deliver to food assistance providers.“

Freeman tells us Community FarmShare’s role as a nonprofit is just to be a facilitator and link others together to “make good things happen.” Because they were able to put the project together in about a week, she believes it was just waiting to happen. The Veggie Drive began on Saturday, November 11 and runs until Monday, December 18.

The vision for Community FarmShare sprouted in 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, at Freeman’s Peas and Peace Farm in Poolesville, when a group of community residents recognized the pressing strains on our local food systems during the pandemic and saw a way to link farms with families facing food insecurity. Their community-based initiative involves different stakeholders with a common vision.

Many of those involved in the organization are from rural areas, understanding the value and challenges of local small scale farms, and have long histories of working or volunteering with our communities, growing food, and bringing about positive change.
The participating farmers are those who care deeply about growing healthy food, using organic, regenerative farming methods so that all eaters can eat well and be healthy, while stewarding the earth for the future.
The families in communities facing barriers who receive the locally grown fruit and vegetables are our neighbors, and they are the voices that shape our role in the community fabric.

Featured photo courtesy of Common Root Farm (Olney)