Free Local Food

Last harvest season, Kathy Stamper watched as some of her beautiful produce withered on the vines. She and her husband simply could not pick all the vegetables that they'd raised on their farm, Stamper Farms & Gardens, in Danville, Indiana. Her husband suggested that in 2008 she hire someone to help her pick the produce and get it to market. But Kathy got creative and came up with a better idea--what if she could offer people an opportunity to help with the harvest in return for some of the food they picked? Over the winter she thought more about the concept and came up with a plan that she is launching this summer.

Kathy is now looking for volunteers to help her harvest many of her crops including green beans, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, summer squash, sweet corn, broccoli, kale, and maybe strawberries. Half of the harvest will go to the farm, 1/4 to the volunteer, and 1/4 to local food pantries chosen by the volunteer. She is asking for a 2-4 hour commitment once every few weeks per volunteer with harvest days scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Kathy is enthusiastic about her plan and curious to see how it will all work out for everyone. She has several people already lined up but can still use more.

Interested? Send Kathy an email (kstamp@iquest.net ), tell her what days and hours you can work. She'll contact you with the details. I think it sounds like a great idea.