The Tahoe Food Hub is proud to announce the expansion of their Feed Your Neighbor program to include Giving Boxes filled with local, seasonal, sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables for those impacted by Covid-19.
The Feed Your Neighbor program was designed to provide equal access to fresh, seasonal, sustainably grown food for community members facing food insecurity. In the beginning, Tahoe Food Hub collected surplus produce from local farms and donated it to local hunger relief agencies for distribution around North Lake Tahoe.
In the fall 2019, Tahoe Food Hub launched their Giving Box initiative as an affordable way for people to donate $20 and provide a local family a weekly, free, box of farm, fresh produce. Funds raised pay for the boxes ensuring local farms are compensated fairly for the good food they grow. Before the Corona virus outbreak, on average 2-3 boxes were being donated per week. After the onset of COVID-19, The Tahoe Food Hub saw an increase in donations and has been able to expand the program to increase the number of boxes distributed weekly. At first, Giving Boxes targeted restaurant employees who had been laid-off or had compromised hours. It was a way to give back to the industry that helped establish the Tahoe Food Hub. Thanks to donations provided by local donors and organizations including the Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation, Elder Group Tahoe Real Estate and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Giving Boxes were expanded to include anyone impacted by Covid-19 including those participating in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District’s (TTUSD) food pantry and Placer County’s Head Start programs. Since April 1, over 2,500 Giving Boxes have
been distributed and $60,000 raised by the local community for the Feed Your Neighbor program. The goal now is to ensure the program’s longevity and sustainability in order to provide, fresh, healthy local produce to community members in need.
“When the economic impact of Covid-19 hit Tahoe with a vengeance this Spring, the Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation (TMRF) quickly mobilized to provide a 'safety net' to those most vulnerable of food insecurity in our community,” commented Michael Parks board member with TMRF. “A signature of our foundation is to give to organizations that can leverage our equity with their 'sweat' equity. The Tahoe Food Hub's Giving Box program exemplifies this and we are proud to support them now and in the future.”
To keep the program running and to keep our community fed during uncertain times, the Tahoe Food Hub encourages any local businesses, organizations, or individuals who would like to donate or learn more visit:
https://www.tahoefoodhub.org/farm2market/feed-your-neighbor/. In addition, supporters of the Tahoe Food Hub’s online farmers market, Harvest to Order, can donate to the Giving Box fund when placing an order.
Anyone who may be impacted by COVID-19 or who may be experiencing financial hardships, can sign up for a free weekly box by visiting
www.tahoefoodhub.org and clicking the Giving Box sign-up link. For questions, or more information on how to sign-up, email The Tahoe Food Hub’s Feed Your Neighbor Program Manager Marissa Yakaitis at marrisa@tahoefoodhub.org.
As a local 501(c)-3 non-profit organization based in Truckee, CA, the Tahoe Food Hub’s mission is to work with regenerative and sustainable agriculture farmers while supporting and growing a local food system. As a hub for local food, we increase access to local, sustainably grown food that supports small family farms within 150 miles of Lake Tahoe.