The Big Garden is working harder than ever to meet the increasing need for fresh, healthy produce in local pantries and food distribution programs in our community. This year, the pandemic has caused a dramatic increase in food insecurity. Families and individuals are struggling to make ends meet because of illness or job reduction. According to Food Bank for the Heartland, 1 in 4 children in our area are food insecure. The demand at local pantries has increased more than 50%.
As Development Director Cami Cavanaugh Rawlings explains to Mike Hogan on "Live & Local," The Big Garden has responded to the need this year by investing more heavily in food production than ever before. As of this week, they’ve grown 15,000 pounds of fresh produce in 2020, all of which has been donated to people in need. And they’re not done yet. For the first time ever, they are firing up two 24x80 foot greenhouses to grow as much emergency food as possible throughout the winter months.