Farm Bureau food drive tops 7 tons

The 16th annual Farm Bureau food drive to help feed the hungry netted 14,328 pounds of donations for the Greater Washington County Food Bank.
Don Carter, who has spearheaded the effort for many years, released the total this week.
It was a transition year for the food drive, with Carter preparing to turn over the reins to Drew E. Ross Manko of Eighty Four, chairman of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers, and Morgan Livingston, farm manager at the Greater Washington County Food Bank near West Brownsville.
The food bank estimates 25,000 residents of Washington County are included in a group known as the “food insecure.” Among this population, 30 percent are children and 20 percent are senior citizens.
Local libraries and 4-H clubs competed to raise the most donations in an effort that is launched annually over the winter.
Clubs participating were Hickory Ag, South Franklin Morris, Heart and Home, Ten Mile, Chrome Clovers, Crossroads, Golden Hoofs, Buffalo Ag, Vankirk Friendship and Pike Run, who each brought in between 93.5 pounds and 1,515 pounds of donations.
“I think it’s great that 4-H members put forth the effort and get so excited about it,” Livingston said.
“And the Farm Bureau, they’ve really helped us out a lot.”
For the past two years, the collection has netted nearly 15,000 pounds of food and household products. To again cut down on labor and transportation costs, donations were directed to local food pantries.
Livingston also gave an update on efforts at the food bank, 909 National Pike West, Brownsville.
“We have our 15 raised beds, and we’ve already harvested lettuce and kale,” she said.
Peas and carrots have been planted, and over the summer, the food bank farm expects, weather permitting, to pick tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
“We’ll be planting our first shipping container,” Livingston said of the food bank’s climate-controlled hydroponic lettuce crop.
An orchard planted in 2017 and 2018 has already set fruit on apple and pear trees, although it will probably take longer to see similar results from peach and plum trees.
“So far it’s been good,” Livingston said. “We escaped a late frost. Hopefully, we won’t be quite as wet this year.
“We hope that as we grow, each pantry family will have an opportunity to get some fresh produce during the year.”
Nonperishable staples also are part of boxed campus packs for students and their families and what are known as monthly “senior boxes” for senior citizens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program for those aged 60 and older with an annual income of $15,782 or less.