Sara and Dustin from Sustainabillies: Nutrition is a necessity
We spoke to Sara and Dustin of sustainabillies which is a local farm here in Haywood County to share a bit more about what it's like working with Haywood Christian Ministry.
Farmers work very hard to grow and sell their produce, battling against bad weather conditions and short timeframes. But local farmers Sara and Dustin shared that many farmers; who are surrounded by healthy and nutritious foods, may be the ones needing to come into the food pantry for a weekly grocery supplement.
Food security and access to nutritional food is very important, and Sara and Dustin understand how hard it may be for food pantries like ours to be able to provide fruits and vegetables. They work tirelessly to grow their produce and sell it at the local farmer's markets. But there are other options they consider when growing their foods.
Sara told us about one of their customers, who visits the weekly market to purchase food from their table. “There is this sweet woman who pays for our produce with food stamps, she is elderly and is unable to sustain a good quality of life while not eating foods that are nutritious.” It is a necessity to provide nutritious food to everyone in our community. But it is especially important to provide these foods to those who need it most such as children and the elderly. “We believe that kids are among the highest priority of those who need to be getting good nutritious foods because it allows them to grow strong minds and bodies. Being healthy and well nourished allows children to be leaders in their community.”
The weather conditions during the winter can make being a local farmer even more stressful. Cold fronts with temperatures as low as 8 degrees generate a barrier for local farmers selling their produce. “HCM Saved us recently, the farmers market was closed because of the cold weather and we had all this produce that we couldn't sell. All of this food we have worked so hard to grow would have been food waste. It is so deflating for a farmer to generate waste. Being partnered with HCM we were able to purchase the foods we were unable to sell at the market.” So being in a partnership is mutually beneficial, we can provide healthy, nutritious, and fresh local foods to our neighbors. And our farmers can reduce their food waste and still make their usual income. “We brought two big coolers to the food pantry, I was so excited to be there. We love everyone at HCM and they are so nice and helpful. I felt so happy to know this food is going to those who need it the most.”
Local farmers are dedicated to their communities and strive to provide healthy food to those around them. Collaborating with farmers as partners is a great opportunity for everyone involved because it allows farmers to grow amazing foods and provide them to the community without compromising themselves financially. We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to grow these nutritious foods and we hope that with the support of the community, we can continue to support farmers like Sara and Dustin.
