Young farmers fight hunger through Harvest for All 

By Linda DuBois

People facing hunger are being fed, young farmers are honing their skills, and communities throughout the state are engaging with agriculture and learning more about its importance. 

These accomplishments are made thanks to members of Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program and its Harvest for All campaign, which began nationally in 2003 in collaboration with local Feeding America affiliates across the country.

Last year, members of California Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers logged more than 1,500 volunteer hours, donated 78,839 pounds of food and raised more than $95,300 in monetary contributions.

In Napa County, for example, up to 10 members volunteer each Saturday morning at St. John’s Lutheran Mission Farm, a small year-round farm at a Napa church, which donates all its harvests to the Community Action of Napa Valley Food Bank.

Now with 22 members, the YF&R chapter began helping at the farm in 2020 when members were seeking a COVID-safe way to stay active and give back to the community.

“We found this farm, run by mostly retired folks, that needed younger participants, and so it was a really easy connection,” said August D’Amato, the chapter chair.

It has since grown into “a really beautiful partnership,” she added.

The farm has about 70 fruit trees, grapevines and garden plots that grow a wide variety of vegetables for every season, slightly adjusted each year based on the food bank’s needs.

The young farmers plant, prune, move mulch and compost, harvest and more, under the guidance of the regular volunteers from the church. 

“We do whatever they need,” D’Amato said. “We also have a couple of (pest control advisers) on our team who recommend fertilizers, and we see if we can get donations for hay, fertilizer, seeds or plants and such.”

The help from the YF&R members to the dozen seniors who regularly run the farm is valuable and appreciated, said the Rev. Ted Zimmerman, the church’s 84-year-old pastor emeritus, who does hands-on farm work and is in charge of recruiting volunteers and raising donations for the farm.

“First, they serve us with their young, supple bodies that can lift and tote and bend and kneel and then get back on their feet again,” he said. “Many of us are of the age where we need to keep off ladders needed in the orchards and have to take care of our backs.”

Therefore, some of the more physically demanding tasks are left for Saturdays, as well as jobs that “call for many hands,” such as planting seeds and seedlings and harvesting large quantities, Zimmerman said.

Also valuable are the YF&R members’ enthusiasm and farming knowledge, Zimmerman added. “We learn from them, even as they learn beside us” as they hone their farming skills, he said. 

Without their help, he said, the farm would have to scale back.

“As it is, we have been able to deliver each season to the food bank an average of 25,000 pounds of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables,” Zimmerman said.

The church shows its gratitude by holding parties for the YF&R members, bringing them pastries and coffee and allowing them to hold some of their meetings at the farm, D’Amato said.

She and Zimmerman noted that the seniors and young farmers have grown to be like family, sharing a special bond as they work side by side.

“It’s not cleanliness that is next to godliness but getting our hands in the dirt,” Zimmerman said.

Kern County YF&R is another chapter involved in Harvest for All. The chapter was honored at the California Young Farmers & Ranchers State Conference in Monterey last December for donating and volunteering for more than 13 Harvest for All projects. Members were specifically recognized for volunteering more than 326 hours, donating $10,310 and giving 600 pounds of food to the California State University, Bakersfield, Food Pantry.

Every summer, members work to collect donations of products from companies throughout the greater Kern County area and then put on a one-day farmers market in July.

“We’re fortunate to have really diverse companies around us that donate all different types of products,” said Katie Verhoef, the state YF&R committee secretary and district representative for Kern County. Products include farm-fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, as well as baked goods, juices and salad dressings.

“We have 20 to 30 volunteers the day of the market, but we start working toward it months in advance, she said. “It’s something a lot of people are involved with.” 

The money raised goes toward building a local school garden, promoting agriculture in classrooms and funding scholarships and 4-H and FFA agriculture grants. The chapter donates any unsold produce to the food pantry, Verhoef said.

The 40-member Central Coast YF&R also is active in Harvest for All, juggling several annual projects.

A chapter favorite is the twice-annual supermarket race. Teams of three are given a grocery list for a partner store, and then they purchase everything on the list in a timed race.

“We get a couple thousand pounds of food donated from that,” said Jynel Gularte, Central Coast YF&R chair.

During local fairs, the chapter purchases an animal raised by a 4-H or FFA youth and then processes and donates the meat to a local food bank. 

“For us, that’s a win-win because that money supports the kids, but then we’re also donating the meat,” Gularte said.

They also partner with local shippers or farms to collect any unsold products nearing their expiration dates and donate them to food banks.

The chapter makes Harvest for All projects a priority for several reasons, Gularte said.

“Obviously, giving back to our community is important. We’re helping those in need with vital nutrients to survive,” she said. “But also, it’s having a good public image and showing all the great benefits that Young Farmers & Ranchers has in local communities. Hopefully, that inspires other people to either get involved or donate back to us or apply for our scholarship program.”

Gularte said it’s a great way to show off California and its incredible bounty. 

“Since Harvest for All is a national program, I think it’s really important that we represent our state well,” she said. “I want people to see California not only as the largest ag state in the nation but one that gives back the most, too.”

For more information about Harvest for All, visit www.cfbf.com/ag-programs/young-farmers-ranchers/harvest-for-all-program.

Linda DuBois is the assistant editor of California Bountiful magazine. She may be contacted at ldubois@cfbf.com.