September’s collection alone brought in 3,172 pounds of fruits and vegetables to the New Hampshire Food Bank. Combined with a collection in August of just over 1,900 pounds, New Hampshire farms have, in the last two months, provided over 4,200 meals to hungry New Hampshire residents according to Nancy Mellitt, New Hampshire Food Bank’s Director of Development. This goes a long way towards supporting the one in nine individuals who are statistically food insecure in our state.

For both collections, New Hampshire Farm Bureau Young Farmer members and coordinators spent the day travelling to area farms picking up donations and transporting them to their destination. Young Farmer Co-chairs Amy Matarozzo and Valerie Drown and Young Farmer member Theodore Mongeau volunteered their time and transportation resources to make it all possible.

Ten farms contributed to this year’s donations by giving a wide range of produce including tomatoes, cabbage, apples, zucchini, peppers, corn, and winter squash. Autumn View Farm in Pittsfield, LaValley Farms in Hooksett, J+F Farms in Derry, Wilson Farms in Litchfield, Normanton Farm in Litchfield, Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, Marshall Pumpkin Farm in Boscawen, Apple Hill Farm in Concord, Carter Hill Orchard in Concord, and Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry all were glad to donate to such a worthy cause.

The New Hampshire Farm Bureau Young Farmers have been collecting donations in conjunction with the Harvest For All campaign, a partnership with the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Program and Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, for over 5 years. They are currently raising a beef cow that will be donated for next year’s Harvest For All campaign.

To make donations towards the Harvest For All campaign visit www.nhfarmbureau.org and look for Harvest For All under the Young Farmer tab under Membership or contact Josh Marshall at editor@nhfarmbureau.org or call 224-1934.