This October and November we can all make a big difference with our spare change. If you round up to the next dollar as you check out at BriarPatch, 100% of your donation goes to support our Harvest of the Month Program!
The Harvest of the Month program brings fresh, local, organic food into 20 schools in Nevada County each month, enabling over 6,500 elementary school children to taste local farm produce they might have never tried before.
Over the past three years Sierra Harvest has brought 30,000 pounds of local food into our schools. Not only is this good for the health of the children and their families, it’s great for local farmers, many of whom have become household names to these families.
It’s so easy to support this program. Think: just fifty cents provides a sample of a local Harvest of the Month fruit or vegetable for one child, and $20 allows a child to participate in the Farm to School program for an entire school year. This adds up to a real boost to our community’s health, as well as the economic health of our local farmers.
How else does your spare change make a difference? Since the inception of its Farm to School program, we have documented an 80 percent increase in the ability of students to name a farmer, a 66 percent increase in purchases of local fruits and vegetables, and a 43 percent increase in the number of kids who like the fruits and veggies they try at school.
Farm to School is just one of our programs designed to educate, inspire, and connect Nevada County families to fresh, local seasonal food. Watch a short video about how we support local farmers, help people grow their own vegetables, and build a stronger local food community in Nevada County. You can also read more about our programs here.
Thanks in advance for donating your spare change at the register to support Sierra Harvest and local food!