Everyone Deserves Healthy Food

Everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy, dignified food.  An overlap of social, racial, and economic inequities in our food system make it out of reach for far too many households. With rising inflation following difficult financial times due to Covid, the need is great. 

Please consider offering your financial support to help more than 100 Madison-area families have reliable, consistent access to fresh organic produce this season. 

 

The 2022 growing season marks Crossroads Community Farm's third year of growing organic vegetables with the express purpose of giving them away to low-income households for free.

 

Our model is different. We aren't just giving away the food we couldn't sell or the food that doesn't meet customer standards. We are purposefully growing vegetables to deliver at their highest quality to those in greatest need.  To be low-income shouldn't equate to eating low-quality food.

 

To fund this work we rely on the support of our customers and the community at large (you!) to pay our farmers a living wage to produce the vegetables we give away. Our model is based on the idea that those with greater means have a community obligation to assist those with less. In 2021, 11% of our veggie share eaters were low-income. We are working to continue increasing that percentage each year.

 

The farm works with community organizations to distribute food directly to households in need, including Healthy Food for All, Bayview Foundation, Neighborhood House, and the Badger Prairie Needs Network. Neighborhoods served include Darbo, Meadowood, Bayview, the Triangle Neighborhood, and Verona. 

 

It's important to understand that our work is not challenging or disrupting the root causes of an unfair and unjust food system. We are addressing the overwhelming need and desire for fresh, high-quality vegetables in food apartheid neighborhoods and low-income rural households - both because the need is present and real, and because we don't have the answers of how to fix a very broken food system.  It's a bandaid approach at best, and we continue to be in discussion in the community to try and figure out ways to challenge the food system.

 

Families struggling economically deserve high quality, nutritious vegetables provided in a consistent and dignified way. Our food access work strives to do just that.

 

Please join us in supporting community by donating to this season's GoFundMe Campaign. Thank you!