STATESVILLE, N.C.  — Just 45 minutes north of Charlotte, lies the city of Statesville. 

It’s where you’ll find Christina Benton packing up fresh food and farming, which has always came naturally to her. 

What You Need To Know

  • Christina Benton decided to quit her job and launch Janco Community Farms during the pandemic last year

  • Carolina Farm Trust helped her acquire two acres in Statesville for her to farm on 

  • Janco Community Farms is actually named after Christina's three children Joshua, Avery and Nathaniel

  • Benton's plan is to have the bus out on the road three to four times a week delivering fresh food

“Growing up, my grandmother and great aunt they kept a garden in the back, and that’s what I grew up doing,” she said. “So when I was grown and had kids of my own, I kept a garden in the back.”

When the pandemic hit in March 2020 though, it pushed her to take things to another level after realizing many people in Statesville didn’t have access to fresh food. 

“Where we are at … where we are located, we are situated in a food desert,” said Benton. “So, there’s not a grocery store within three to five miles.” 

Benton decided to leave her job working in death investigations and commit to farming full time. 

“There’s no way that our immediate community should be hungry because we have the skills, and so we were like let’s put them to use,” she said. 

Benton worked with Carolina Farm Trust to acquire two acres of land and soon Janco Community Farms was born. 

Cameron Tate decided to quit driving trucks and hop on full time as farm manager. 

“It seemed like something that we could do,” he said. “We could definitely fill the need and I definitely enjoy doing work where I feel like I’ve done some good work … something good for the community at the end of the day.” 

Benton ended up purchasing a bus, which Tate is able to drive, bringing fresh food to those in town who otherwise wouldn’t get them. 

“In a food desert a lot of people don’t even realize what they’re missing,” said Tate. “They’re just working with what they got.” 

They also bring the bus out to farmers markets so they can continue being a presence in this community. 

“Sometimes it's overwhelming, but most of the time it's so exciting,” said Benton. 

Fresh food was something Benton noticed Statesville didn’t have a lot of, but with Janco Community Farms up and running, she's excited about the new food opportunities she can provide for this community. 

“We have the produce, and we have the space and now the community can come and hopefully they’ll enjoy the space and what we have to offer,” she said. 

Benton’s goal is to have the bus out on the road, making deliveries three to four times a week. 

She’s also working to create more of a mini mart near the farm land she manages so that people can visit a few days a week. 

If you would like to purchase fresh foods from Janco Community Farm’s location in Statesville or sign up for a weekly produce box you can find more information here.