From Seed to Sustenance: How Samaritan’s Organic Farm Nourishes Thousands

Introduction: The Power of a Tomato

When you picture a food pantry, do you imagine rows of canned goods and dented boxes? You’re not alone. But at Samaritan Community Center, a different image is taking root: one of fresh heirloom tomatoes still warm from the vine, of hands deep in rich compost, of neighbors sharing meals that were grown with care just miles from their dinner table.

This year alone, Samaritan’s organic farm has harvested over 18,000 pounds of produce—and it’s only mid-season. Grown with love and given freely, this food isn’t just filling bellies. It’s restoring dignity, promoting health, and planting hope in our community.

1. Cultivating More Than Crops: Why Our Farm Exists

Our farm is a 3-acre, fully organic growing space designed to support our free Samaritan Café and Market programs. We believe that everyone—regardless of income—deserves access to nutritious, pesticide-free produce.

Food justice isn't just about calories. It’s about equity, wellness, and beauty. That’s why our rows are filled not just with squash and cucumbers, but with vibrant herbs, rainbow chard, and sweet blackberries—fresh ingredients that are normally out of reach for families experiencing poverty.

2. Harvest by the Pound, Impact by the Plate

Here’s just a taste of what we’ve grown in a single week:

• 97 lbs of tomatoes

• 79.5 lbs of cucumbers

• 50 lbs of eggplant

• 76.5 lbs of blackberries

• 34 lbs of zucchini

• 37 lbs of yellow squash

• 29 lbs of green beans

• And more...

  
  

Each pound is harvested by hand, sorted with care, and delivered to families through our Market or served hot and fresh in our Café. That means mothers leaving with a week’s worth of healthy meals, and neighbors sharing conversations over a plate of sautéed squash and tomatoes they helped grow.

3. The Secret Ingredient: Community

This isn’t a one-person garden. It thrives because of volunteer groups, donors, and seasonal supporters who come together to compost, plant, and harvest. It’s the teenager weeding her first bed on a service project.

The church group layering compost for spring planting.The donor who sees the long rows of tomato plants and says, “Yes—I want to grow hope here.”

When you sponsor a row, you’re not just covering seeds and soil. You’re investing in the ripple effect of wellness and worth.

4. Breaking the Mold: Not Just Cans and Boxes

Many people are shocked to learn that our food pantry includes organic kale and fresh basil. There’s a common misconception that food pantries offer only shelf-stable, processed food. But Samaritan is rewriting that narrative with every harvest.

We’re showing that health is not a luxury—it’s a right. And it starts in the soil.

Conclusion & Call to Action: Help a Garden Grow

A single garden row can yield hundreds of meals, countless moments of connection, and lifelong habits of health. By becoming a monthly donor and sponsoring a row, you’re putting organic food directly onto the plates of neighbors who need it most.

🌿 Sponsor a row. Sow seeds of hope.

Learn more and start your monthly gift here