EPA's Zeldin spotlights Bucks County’s farm-to-pantry network in Pennsylvania
NEW HOPE, Pennsylvania — For 16 years, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue has collected fruits and vegetables that Bucks County farms cannot sell and delivered them to food pantries, senior centers, and community kitchens. On Oct. 2, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin visited one of its longtime partner farms, Solebury Orchards, to see how that system works.
TL;DR
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Solebury Orchards to promote the 'Feed It Onward' campaign, focusing on reducing food waste.
- Rolling Harvest Food Rescue collects unsold produce from Bucks County farms and delivers it to food pantries, senior centers, and community kitchens.
- The 'Feed It Onward' campaign aims to get edible food that would otherwise go to landfills to children and families in need.
- Farmers often grow extra produce to guard against bad weather and market shifts, creating a surplus that Rolling Harvest helps manage.
- Rolling Harvest works with 52 farms and over 80 hunger-relief sites, serving an estimated 40,000 people and rescuing millions of pounds of produce.
- State grants, like Pennsylvania's Food Recovery Infrastructure Grants, have been crucial for organizations like Rolling Harvest to acquire necessary equipment such as coolers and refrigerated vehicles.
- Despite perceptions of affluence in some areas, food insecurity and poverty exist in Bucks County, highlighting the need for organizations like Rolling Harvest.
- The EPA is working to help local communities share their best practices and lessons learned in combating food waste.