We recently gathered at Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC’s headquarters in Winston-Salem, NC, to celebrate the first distribution of produce from Happy Dirt, an organization that sources diverse harvests from an extensive network of organic farms in NC and beyond, to over 425 families this holiday season.
Happy Dirt is a North Carolina-based nonprofit that aggregates, distributes, and markets organic produce raised by NC farmers, many of whom are or formerly were tobacco farmers or live in tobacco-dependent communities. The organization currently supports over 50 farmers in locations including Oxford, Rose Hill, Bailey, and Burlington by working to create distribution opportunities for them to expand their product offerings and scale up into wholesale markets.
Second Harvest is committed to working with community partners to create healthy and food secure communities including through connecting local farms with food pantries to expand use of fresh, local produce to pantry patrons by purchasing produce at market rate from small-scale farmers — both spurring economic activity and investing in healthier communities.
Reynolds American Inc. and the Reynolds American Foundation donated two $100,000 gifts respectively to Second Harvest. The first gift will enable Second Harvest to partner with Happy Dirt. The second will directly fund the food bank’s Farm Fresh Nourish program, an initiative that sources fresh produce in the region and distributes it to partner agencies. This unique collaboration will significantly enhance the availability of fresh, healthy produce for families across the food bank’s 18-county service area, supporting both families experiencing food insecurity and NC farmers.
Additionally, this partnership’s focus on farmer livelihood will allow growers to diversify and expand production, buffer and extend their growing season, and significantly improve the sustainability of their farms, both economically and environmentally.
“The Reynolds American organization is proud to collaborate with Second Harvest Food Bank and Happy Dirt to strengthen farmer livelihoods, advance environmental sustainability through organic produce farming and distribution, and deliver healthy, nutritious meals to food insecure households in need,” said Kara Calderon, Senior Director, Sustainability and Community Engagement within the Reynolds American organization. “This collaboration reflects our commitment to Thriving Communities by delivering meaningful change by connecting People, Planet, and Prosperity.”
Next year will mark the 150th year anniversary of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and a key part of the Reynolds organization’s long history includes supporting the communities where we live and work. This collaboration is a perfect example of our community commitment and shows how we are continuing to make a positive impact as our business evolves.
We look forward to seeing the success of this collaboration in the months ahead.
