One of the harsh realities of this pandemic has been the lack of fresh and healthy foods available to families in need across our state. However, recently, a special event was hosted by the New York Farm Bureau to help put quality vegetables on plates everywhere.

Every ear of sweet corn Christina Koehler picks here on this farm in Jefferson County will go to someone who has struggled to get fresh vegetables on their table this year.

“It’s really great. You walk away from it feeling like you’ve done something good to not only help the community, but you don’t know how many lives 5,000 ears of corn will touch just because of a half hour of picking together,” Kohler said.

A large group of New York Farm Bureau members from across the state — and their families — joined her for this special day, known as Harvest for All. An agriculture community that certainly understands struggles, putting that aside for the betterment of everyone.

“It really helps fill the gap where there are needs. You can’t sell everything at your local farm stand. You only have so many people locally that can purchase it. So now, it doesn’t go to waste in the field. It is really important that someone who needs it can get access to it,” Kohler added.

The farm bureau is working with the Food Bank of Central New York, which is distributing the corn to pantries and shelters in 11 counties across the region. It’s just one part of a much larger, year round effort across the state that has made a big impact, especially as COVID-19 really took charge.

“Last year, for food banks across the state, we donated over eight million pounds of food,” Kohler said.

The Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers hope to host this Harvest for All at least once every year.