Gov. Matt Meyer launches expansion of Delaware’s Farm to Processing Program.
Meyer announced expansion of the pilot program at the Sussex Community Corrections Center in Georgetown, where inmates participate as part of workforce training.
Food processing work there will increase sending more locally sourced food from Delaware farmers to local supply chains, including schools and childcare facilities.
"I really talk about this as a win -win -win program,” said Nancy Staisey, chair of the Delaware Farm & Food Council. “It's a win for Delaware farmers, because we are purchasing local products and for our farmers, it's a big help for them. We're purchasing from them, and those dollars that go to those farmers, whenever you spend a dollar with a local farmer, a large proportion of it stays within Delaware, because they tend to spend it local."
She says it’s a win for the Sussex Community Corrections Center because inmates there will soon process food from three - and soon to be four - county farms.
Staisey adds that local kids win by getting local fruits and vegetables cut to kid-sized portions for meals distributed to the Seaford Boys & Girls Club.
She notes the hope is to add local schools - starting with the Seaford School District - in the future.
Staisey says currently one of the main beneficiaries is the Seaford Boys & Girls Club.
"The Boys and Girls Club uses it in the meals that they serve, and also sends it out to the network that they have of lunch programs that occur both during the summer and during the school year."
The pilot program was started in April with Department of Correction staff and participants processing 5,200 pounds of Delaware-grown produce - including asparagus, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, and cantaloupe - since then.
The Boys & Girls Club of Delaware spent more than $6,800 on local produce as part of the pilot which increased its production capacity from approximately 500 servings per week to more than 1,600 servings per week while reducing preparation demands for child nutrition programs.
“Every Delawarean deserves access to healthy, nutritious food, every Delaware farmer deserves the opportunity to sell more of what they grow right here at home, and every person leaving incarceration deserves the opportunity to build a successful future,” said Meyer. “The expansion of the Farm to Processing program advances all three. By connecting Delaware farmers with our schools and communities while providing incarcerated Delawareans with transferable workforce training, we're building a healthier and more equitable Delaware.”
