Together, we will thrive
Over the past 2 years, HCM has worked intentionally to form relationships with some of our small, local farms. Our hope was to find ways that we could provide reliable purchasing to them, helping their businesses while also providing access to their food for those who need it. It has been a wonderful experience, and one that I am extremely grateful for.
It was natural, then, that when we heard that one of our partners (who have become close friends of my family) had lost a lot in this flood, that my heart sank, and I went as soon as possible to visit them and check in on them.
Yesterday, my wife and I made it up the mountain to visit Sara, Dustin, and their daughter, also known as the Sustainabillies. As we drove up the washed-out dirt road our minds raced at what we may find.
When you first turn into their farm, you see the destruction. A large mudslide opened on the hillside above them, taking out their blueberry bushes (20 years old) and their greenhouse. The loss of property, future income, and years of hard work was unbearable to see. This on top of the trauma of seeing their hard work buried in the mud, and fearing the more slides would take out their house as well.
What we didn’t expect, was the concerns shared by Sara and Dustin.
Dustin and his daughter weighing food for our distributions
“We were so worried. We have all this food we harvested right before the flood, and we were afraid we weren’t going to be able to get it to people who need it.”
Carting the food over the mudslide to get it to our neighbors who are struggling to find food after the floods.
We then spent the next hour or so with them, processing some of their harvest, getting weights, and packing bins of produce to take to our food distributions. In the midst of such loss of their own, they were preoccupied with how to get their food to others before it spoiled.
It’s this spirit that gives me hope in light of the tragedy we are currently experiencing. And it’s not just them. Another farm we visited (Mighty Gnome Market Garden) had similar questions. They had food they harvested but didn’t know how to get it to those in need. We were able to connect them with the food services at Lake Junaluska. Their staff has been hard at work feeding first responders and residents in the emergency shelter. We’ve been helping provide food to them to prepare, and Mark and Danielle of Mighty Gnome were able to get fresh produce to them as well.
The heart and passion of our neighbors in light of such tragedy, gives me hope. Together we will survive, but not just survive. Together we can thrive, working towards a tomorrow that is more resilient, more inclusive, and more sustainable!
