1. Connections Individual Service club or group Employer Organization
Agency – local, state federal
Thank you for allowing me to share the projects we have been working on in Buena Vista County. And thank you to Food Bank of Iowa for supporting and serving us in many of them.
Our mission is to get the whole county involved in Food Insecurity, whether they identify as an individual, agency or any variation between. The connections between grass roots activities and larger organizations are what make our efforts sustainable and more effective.
Ellen Anderson,
ISU Extension and Outreach
Buena Vista County

2. Local Projects Salud Multi-cultural Health Coalition
Salud is a multi-cultural health coalition making concerted efforts to include the populations they serve in health, wellness and nutrition projects and many other capacities related to our diverse population.

3. Local Projects Hunger Dialogue
Eclectic mix of community and business representatives sharing information, resources and collaboration toward county-wide support efforts. We are having mixed success getting the right people at the table, but they come and go and we have moved forward on multiple projects. Networking is an important element.

4. The Bridge CSA, Cultivate Garden Training and Endless Sea Coffee
The Bridge is a Christian based ministry teaching young people – many of them the most disadvantaged or vulnerable in our community – in learning life-skills through a coffee roasting business and CSA (community supported agriculture garden) using mentors to build positive relationships with supportive adults.
Kids who work in the coffee business and gardens are given incentives as they learn each new piece of the business operations and management and establish new skills. ISU Master Gardeners are helping lead Cultivate Garden classes.

5. Local Projects Eden Gardens - Pick Your Own
Local landowner, Richard Anderson established Eden Gardens south of town to support food insecurity efforts wherever people are in their individual situation. If you are able to leave a donation, do so. If you are physically able to weed, hoe, plant or harvest in exchange for produce, do so. If you are unable to do either, take what you need.

6. Local Projects Kiwanis Mobile Food Pantry
High-Noon Kiwanis run a mobile food pantry with the support of Food Bank of Iowa distributing food every other month with hundreds participating. A new addition is education or recipes for distributed food items ISU Master Gardeners have been involved in that part. We would also like to see involvement by participants to help with the distribution.

7. Local Projects Garden Buddies
Salad container gardens and raised beds were planted at a local senior living center and senior apartment complex. Seniors chose the vegetables they preferred and we provided education on maintenance. Seniors then cared for and harvested the bounty.

8. Local Projects Abundant Harvest – Plant A Row!
Abundant Harvest is a project intended to connect growers with organizations that can receive and distribute fresh produce. When a gardener has run out of family and friends to give their excess produce to, they have 9 locations throughout the county who are capable of receiving and distributing it to others. We are encouraging growers to Plant A Row extra for donation. A new addition is to ask local greenhouses if they will participate by promoting the project or giving a discount on vegetable plants intended for Abundant Harvest.

9. Local Projects Storm Lake Middle School Food Boxes
Monthly food box distribution with support from Food Bank of Iowa serves families with a child in middle school. Youth receiving boxes are helping to distribute them.

10. Local Projects Storm Lake Community High School
Tornado Alley Food Pantry
AVID student group planned, organized and operate a food pantry in the local public high school. They personally knew the need was great and worked hard to make it a reality.

11. Local Project Little Libraries Seed Exchange Produce Stand
We are working to establish a community-wide project in which we will build, post and stock Little Libraries, including a seed exchange program along with books. We will take it one step further and add produce baskets to the posts in which anyone with excess can leave produce and anyone who can use it, can take it.

12. Local Project ISU Demonstration Farm Apple Orchard Donations/Sales
ISU Master Gardeners have just taken over management of an apple orchard at the ISU Demonstration Farm. There are trees. The apples will be donated to Abundant Harvest and area senior centers and a portion sold to help fund future projects.

13. Community Gardens Set guidelines Identify partners (property owners)
Select locations
Our newest project is to establish community gardens. We are in the early stages of meeting with city officials to set guidelines. We have one business property owner who is willing to start the first garden in partnership with a low-income senior apartment complex to set an example for others. We are still working out details with funding, water supply, tool storage, etc.

14. Local Project Additions
Farmer’s Market Education booth
Double Up Food Bucks
Junior Master Gardener certification expansion to 4-H and other youth
ISU Master Gardeners will host an education booth at the Storm Lake farmers market including growing your own produce, healthy food preparation, and food preservation. We would like to be one of the next communities taking advantage of Double Up Food Bucks in which SNAP dollars are worth twice when purchasing produce at the farmers market.
Master Gardeners are in the planning process to establish a Junior Master Gardener certification for 4-H’ers and other youth.

15. Local Project Additions
Growing Bolder project
Free Farmer’s Market at Senior Meal Site
Fresh produce tote bags to homebound seniors
We have shared project information with Iowa Department of Aging and Elderbridge to support the Growing Bolder pilot project targeting low-income, isolated seniors to provide them with fresh produce.
Master Gardeners will be hosting a free farmer’s market at the Storm Lake Senior Meal Site where participants can choose the produce they like in the quantities they can consume. We are working out details to also provide produce tote bags to the homebound seniors served by this meal site. This could potentially serve households, depending on case load. If successful, we will explore expansion to Public Health deliveries.

16. Resources SNAP/ISU Master Gardener Mini-grant projects
Hunger Relief Agency Toolkit from SuperFoodDrive
Indicators Portal
School Gardens
Buena Vista County Master Gardeners chose not to take advantage of the USDA/SNAP mini-grant opportunity to serve low income families through donation gardens, but many groups in Iowa did. We are considering it for next year.
The Super Food Drive website has a shopping list to help you or your clients make healthier donations to food pantries. They also have a chart with choices comparing cost and nutrition. For example, the difference between purchasing peaches packed in heavy syrup or peaches packed in fruit juice is half the sugar content. We are using these resources to help people think differently about what they donate.
The ISU Indicators Portal is full of statistical data to “make our case” when creating presentations to community groups and businesses.
A future project we want to explore is to establish at least one school garden in the county in the next 2 years.

17. Resources My Plate, My Health
ISU Buy.Eat.Live.Healthy Nutrition Classes
Spend Smart, Eat Smart website
Top 13 Vegetables to Donate To Food Pantries
My Plate, My Health focuses on the new nutrition guidelines established by USDA. The website has recipes, shopping tips, and more.
Buy Live Eat Healthy nutrition classes helps families with children 10 years and under through a series of 8 classes teaching menu planning, recipes, money-saving techniques and increasing physical activity into their daily lives.
Spend Smart, Eat Smart website is chock full of recipes, shopping tips, menu plans, videos and cooking how-to’s.
ISU publication HORT 3068 is the result of recommendations from the Iowa Food Bank Association that features the top 13 vegetables to donate to food pantries because they are commonly recognized, simple to prepare, used in many different ways, store and transport well. But it is best to check with your local sites to see what works best for them and their clients.

18. Questions?
THANK YOU FOR COMING!