Fresh Access

Healthy Produce for People in Need

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Volunteers harvest fruit
Friends of Holcomb Farm volunteers harvest fruit donated by the Thrall Family Homestead Farm for distribution to those in need via Fresh Access.

Help Us Share the Harvest

Fresh Access is the largest service program of the Friends of Holcomb Farm, providing healthy food, free-of-charge, to more than 500 households per week during our growing season (June through October). Our customers reside in Granby, Hartford, New Britain, Plainville, Bristol, Waterbury, and beyond. They include:

  • food-insecure families
  • people struggling with a health crisis
  • people (often elderly) living on a fixed income
  • others who have trouble accessing healthy food.

To measure our impact, consider that if our customers had to purchase these vegetables at the grocery store, they would cost, on average, about 40 percent more. In other words, for each $1.00 you donate to Fresh Access, we grow and deliver healthy food valued at $1.40 (retail) to a family in need. And we distribute more than 15 tons of food annually.

The program is funded through grants from charitable foundations, including the Granby Community Fund, First Congregational Church and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving,  members of the Friends of Holcomb Farm,  and the support of people like you. Our local partners (Granby Senior Center, Waste Not Want Not Community Kitchen, Healing Meals Community Project) receive their food at no cost. Our larger institutional partners, such as Wheeler Health and the Hispanic Health Council, contribute a portion of the cost of their produce.

Growing Fresh Access to Meet Increased Need

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Our commitment to providing food to people in need is growing, as depicted in this chart. We are so grateful to our donors for making it possible for us to keep up with the increasing need. Please note that the dollars invested reflect our wholesale cost. To measure our impact in terms of its retail value  (at typical grocery store prices) they would cost, on average, about 40 percent more. In other words, for each $1.00 donated to Fresh Access, we grow and deliver healthy food valued at $1.40 (retail) to a family in need.

Farm Crew
Our Farm Crew grew, harvested and delivered more than 15 tons of fresh and healthy food to families in 2022.

Students from the University of Saint Joseph conducted interviews at Holcomb Farm in 2022. Watch the video they created, which does a great job of explaining our Fresh Access program.

 

Our Partners

We work with good people who are doing good work, including:

  • Wheeler Health, of Hartford, which utilizes Holcomb Farm produce in its community kitchen and in its comprehensive wellness and nutrition programming at its holistic health campus in the Asylum Hill neighborhood;
  • The Hartford-based Hispanic Health Council, whose mission is to improve the health and social well-being of Latinos and other diverse communities;
  • The Granby Senior Center, which distributes our produce to Granby’s senior citizens, many of whom are on fixed incomes and do not have easy access to fresh produce;
  • The Waste Not Want Not Community Kitchen, which serves a weekly community dinner, free-of-charge, to support those in need and to bring the community together;
  • The Town of Granby Social Services Department, which identifies food-insecure families from Granby who could benefit from a helping hand;
  • The Healing Meals Community Project, which serves healthy, 100 percent organic meals to clients and families who are struggling with a health crisis. These meals are provided free of charge and delivered to the client’s doorstep.

Help Us Share the Harvest

Help neighbors in need by supporting Fresh Access. Your tax-deductible donation will make a difference.

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