I’m so excited to purchase my first Harvest Hub Meal Box. Over one hundred and twenty community members helped us design Garrett County’s first CSA to serve SNAP recipients with a complete meal box full of fresh ingredients and kitchen equipment (while supplies last). Our dedicated partner farms have been busy growing, raising, and tending to bring you local fresh meats, produce, cheeses, herbs, and berries. Chef Scardina has taken the guesswork out of what to do with the ingredients and created an easy-to-follow recipe, including a video with the students from Southern High School. We’re so grateful for the local businesses that have come on board to support this innovative idea.

The new Harvest Hub CSA is taking orders now. Visit https://garrettcountyfood.com/box/ to pre-order your meal box for the July 16th pick-up. The boxes are available for anyone to purchase, but hurry—we only have a limited number to sell.

If you are interested in donating a box to help ease Garrett County’s growing food insecurity burden, you’ll find a button for that, too, on garrettcountyfood.com/box/.

Here’s some of the latest information about what Garrett County is doing to reduce food insecurity. GarrettCountyFood.com is the place to learn more.

FORMATION OF A COMMUNITY NON-PROFIT (2023)

The Appalachian Farm & Food Alliance, Inc. non-profit was incorporated on June 5, 2023. It was created through a Maryland Department of Health SPINE funding opportunity with collaboration from the Garrett County Health Department’s Population Health, Innovation, and Informatics Unit, Garrett County Government, University of Maryland Extension – Garrett County, Garrett County Economic Development (Agricultural Business Program), local farmers, and community members.

The mission as it stands now is to facilitate collaboration between agricultural and food system service providers to educate the public and provide solutions for food insecurity through the creation of a resilient, sustainable, and equitable food system across the region. We’ve created a starting place; let’s get busy using it to help people in need.

Spill the beans and share the Harvest Hub with all your friends and family. The CSA will charge a reduced price and include kitchen equipment (while supplies last) for folks using their SNAP benefit cards.