13 farms join Grow & Gather from Farms to Families harvest festival in Delhi

It’s a tough time for many to put food on the table, but a group of farmers in Norfolk County have a solution for that.

Grow & Gather is an event designed for participating farmers to give away their surplus harvest so it doesn’t go to waste.

“Everyone has the same problems, we are all throwing out stuff that isn’t perfect,” said Gerdon Broekstra, owner of the Norfolk Potato Company.

The Norfolk Potato Company is one of 13 farms in the county participating in the Grow & Gather event this Saturday.

Farmers have a lot to do before potatoes get to our plate: they’re washed, sorted for quality control and eventually packaged to be sold at your local grocery store, but big grocers can be fussy, so some don’t make the cut.

“If we don’t donate these potatoes that are perfectly fine, other than they look funny, then they just get tossed out,” said Broekstra.

There’s a lot of produce grown in Norfolk County and Broekstra is glad he and the region’s other farmers are powering the Grow & Gather event.

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A particular potato that is considered Grade 2 is not good looking enough for the grocery store.

This is an issue for farmers in Norfolk County, that’s why many of them are donating to the Grow & Gather event.

“We are very excited for this — we have never done this before,” said Rebekah Konrad with Sandy Shore Farms.

Sandy Shore Farms is hosting the event for the very first time and is expecting a large turnout at the Delhi Friendship Centre, where the event is being held this Saturday.

“It’s open for everybody — it’s definitely tough times for every family out there,” said Amanda Doughty with Sandy Shore Farms. “We don’t want to leave anyone out of this opportunity to come.”

Organizers will be out with a variety of donated produce from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., all of which are proud that the event came together through collaboration.

“We thrive on relationships, especially in agriculture, we depend on each other a lot,” said Doughty.

Judging by the support they’ve received so far, organizers are hopeful to host multiple events next year.

For more information on the Grow & Gather event, contact Rebekah Konrad at rebekahjean@sandyshore.ca.

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