New farm helps local food bank feed needy families in eastern Idaho
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IDAHO FALLS – A local food bank has a new resource to help needy families in eastern Idaho.
The Idaho Falls Community Food Basket had a ribbon-cutting and open house for its new Happyville Farm on Saturday afternoon. The farm sits on a 1-acre piece of property at 600 South Saturn Avenue in Idaho Falls and includes a 20-by-48-foot high tunnel, which is similar to a greenhouse but is “less permanent, less expensive and solar-powered,” according to a news release.
Farm Director Claudia Pine tells EastIdahoNews.com the high tunnel will allow the Community Food Bank to be more self-sustaining by stocking the shelves with fresh produce year-round.
“If you’ve planted your crops correctly in the fall, you can keep them going through December and January, and you can keep harvesting through nearly all the winter,” Pine says.
The $10,000 project was funded through a donation from the Soil and Water Conservation Districts. SWCD spokeswoman Joyce Smith says it was something they wanted to support when the farm began operation last year.
“I met Claudia and saw the place and got a really good look at what they do. After I got back to the office, I got to thinking what a good thing they’re doing (but it would be nice if they had a high tunnel). I put together a proposal and took it to the board … and they said, ‘We’ll (come up with) the funds, and you take care of the rest,'” says Smith.
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The food basket started growing its own food last fall in the wake of volunteer and food shortages at the food pantry. In August 2020, the Idaho Falls Community Food Basket reported a 75% to 100% increase in the number of people needing food assistance and a huge drop in volunteers as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
But even before the pandemic, having an adequate supply of produce for needy families was always a challenge for the food bank. In 2014, Pine was a volunteer at the food pantry and always grew her own organic vegetables at home. She began growing extra carrots to donate to the food basket during the winter months.
“I had a couple of friends who decided they were going to jump in and help do it (as well). Together, we started growing extra food to donate at the food basket,” she says.
Though getting a high tunnel has been in the works for several years, funding didn’t become available until this year. Since it was installed, Pine says the food bank’s ability to help people has significantly improved.
Last year’s crop yielded between 1,800 and 2,000 pounds of produce, Pine says. This year, about 3,000 pounds have been harvested with several hundred pounds “yet to come.”
“We’re delighted that we can fulfill our pledge, our dream that we’ve had for a couple of years now, of being able to bring fresh greens in December and start bringing really wonderful produce early in the spring,” says Pine.
Smith says the conservation district is looking forward to having a continued role at the farm with outreach and education programs for the community.
Visit the farm’s website or Facebook page for more information.