Living Our Faith: Shalom Farms

As we know and/or are learning, institutionalized racism exists in every sector of community: housing, health care, employment, education. This has also lead to a lack of food accessibility and food choice, think redlining and its impact on our communities. This lack of access to healthy food often leads to chronic, diet-related disease. 

Everyone—everyone—deserves to be in control of their health and the food they consume, and Shalom Farms’ mission is to contribute to a food system that promotes these rights and serves all communities equitably. 

Many of us are familiar with the work being done on the actual farm: the plowing, sowing, tending, and reaping of healthy fruits and vegetables. 

What we may not be as familiar with is the important reconciling work that happens off the Farm, so that’s what I want to explore with you here.

Let’s start by considering all the different components that go into putting a healthy meal on our tables at home:

·      Who are we cooking for?  What are the different preferences? Are there any dietary restrictions or allergies?

·      What are we going to cook and what ingredients does it require?  Are they on hand or are we headed to the grocery store?

·      Do we have time to get to the store?

·      Is there even a store?

·      Do we have a way to get there? Is it close enough to walk or bike? Or are we driving?

·      If we are driving, is there gas in the car? Is there even a car?

Some of these components don’t apply to any of us. Many of them apply, but we never have to even think about them.  They don’t hit our radar, because we have the resources to just do it. 

Unfortunately, this is not true for everyone, and this is where Shalom Farms steps off the Farm and into the work of equity and justice. They do this by providing lots of farm-fresh fruits and veggies through a comprehensive distribution program with the goal of breaking down some of the barriers to access.

How do they make this happen? 

Shalom Farms runs three programs that are directly involved in the communities that most need it:

1.    Healthy Corner Store Initiative: When you go into a convenience store, typically the only fresh food you are going to find there are the bananas and apples in a basket up near the registers. That’s it. Even, some of the bigger ones, known for the sandwiches and coffee don’t really offer many more fresh options. In the areas of our community that suffer a lack of food accessibility, these bananas and apples are often the only choice. 

So in response, Shalom Farms has partnered with seven “corner” stores and gas stations to stock fresh fruits and vegetables, beyond the bananas and apples. 

2.    Mobile Market: Shalom Farms has partnered with 16 different area neighborhoods to offer farm fresh food through their mobile market.  It’s basically a farmer’s market on wheels so the Farm goes out and meets the community where it is and offers fresh produce at affordable prices and also accommodates SNAP purchases at 50 percent off.

3.    Prescription Produce Plan: Through this program qualified staff works with participants that are already dealing with a chronic illness related to diet.  It lasts about 12 weeks and each week every participant receives:

·      A box of produce from the Farm

·      A cooking class

·      Nutrition education, and

·      A health screening

These initiatives place Shalom Farms, and its partner organizations such as Feed More, out there in the trenches of food equity and justice. At this point, volunteer opportunities are not available for any of these off-the-farm, in-the-trenches, programs, but please do not discount the work being done on the actual Farm because it is where it all begins and what makes all these other programs possible.

I have been referring to the Farm in the singular, but there are, in fact, two Farms. There is the Powhatan location, just across the 288 bridge off of Robious Road, and Shalom Farms also has a location in the Northside at 1313 Westwood Avenue.

And here’s the exciting part : We have reserved a slot for City Church on Saturday, July 24th, from 9 am to 12pm.  I have only worked at the Powhatan Farm, so I am excited to see the operation at the Northside location, but I’m even more excited to get to play in the dirt alongside my City Church family.  If you’re interested in joining us, email me at ritanuckols@gmail.com.

One final note:  This is one of several church-wide opportunities to volunteer that we are currently working on to meet the recommended commitment of our hands and feet in the work of racial reconciliation.  The option to choose healthy foods is a right, not a privilege.  It should be available to everyone, everywhere, not just to those that have the most resources available to them.  This is the work of Shalom Farms. Please come play in the dirt with me at the Farm.