produce program
Fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the most important components of a healthy diet. They can also be expensive and very fragile. The Produce Program was developed to help bring fresh surplus and donated produce from wholesalers, distributors and farmers directly to communities most in need at no cost to those served.
Second Harvest Heartland distributes quality fruits and vegetables -- which would otherwise have gone to waste -- to Twin Cities neighborhoods and surrounding areas. In 2005, 3.2 million pounds of produce was distributed to low-income families, individuals, seniors and children who otherwise would not have had adequate access to these fresh, wholesome foods. Second Harvest Heartland recognizes the importance of diversity and tries to tailor produce distribution to the ethnic needs of our communities.
Since its inception in June of 1995, Second Harvest Heartland's Produce Program has been able to distribute more than 30 million pounds of fresh produce to hundreds of agencies throughout our service area, including the Twin Cities, Willmar, Mankato, St. Cloud and parts of western Wisconsin. In 1999, the Produce Program was awarded the "Hunger’s Hope Award in Food Resource Development" from America’s Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network.