THE LUNCHBOX | QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER | SUMMER 2024

HARVESTING AT THE FARM

Clark County Food Bank has been farming at Heritage Farm for 15 years and has grown 850,000+ lbs. of food. Farm leaders Lynn and Larry officially retired this season prompting changes and new faces with the hope of further expanding the quality of farm practice and providing an environment where community members can spend time outside, give back, and learn more about the impact of fresh food in the community.

Thanks to the generosity and support of Bob Colf, we were able to expand our farmable acreage to 11 acres between two sites. This allowed us to rest some of the fields at Heritage Farm, in hopes of better supporting our future farming growth. The team is making strides to improve the soil at Heritage Farm through regenerative practices such as cover crops, lowering soil disruption, and future partnerships.

Crops are abundant in the fields this year, including corn, carrots, summer & winter squash, cabbage, peppers (5 varieties), green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, pumpkins, broccoli, kale, and fruit gleaned from the WSU Extension Orchards. We are grateful for the continued support of Churches in Partnership, Master Gardeners, Partners in Careers, and many more organizations. Local gleaning from the Vancouver Farmers Market has yielded over 1,300 lbs. of produce weekly. It’s amazing to see the amount of hands and initiative it takes to support and sustain a program that has become integral to the food bank and the community.