Farmer’s Bag Toledo: From SNAP It Forward to a Bigger Vision
One of the hardest things about being a vegetable farmer is knowing that while we’re harvesting thousands of pounds of beautiful, fresh food every week, there are families in our own community who struggle to put healthy food on the table, because they can’t afford it.
That tension has stayed with us for a long time.
Last fall, when emergency SNAP benefits were reduced, we partnered with Urban Wholistics to launch a small project we called SNAP It Forward. We got a bunch of community volunteers to come out to the farm to help us harvest the extra vegetables from our fields, and delivered them into Toledo neighborhoods who needed fresh food.
We thought it would be a one-time response to a difficult moment.
Instead…it planted a seed.
We kept asking ourselves one simple question:
What if we could build a system that made fresh, local food accessible every single week — and not just during a crisis?
After months of dreaming, praying, planning, finding funding options, and many meetings with our partners at Urban Wholistics, we’re finally ready to find out.
On July 20th, we’ll launch the promotion of our beta test of Farmer’s Bag Toledo, and we are nervous/excited to see what happens!
More Than a Food Box
At first glance, Farmer’s Bag Toledo might look a little like our CSA — but it has a twist.
Every Friday afternoon, starting August 7th, families from Toledo’s Tatum Park neighborhood and other surrounding community will gather for what we’re calling Farmer’s Bag Friday.
Instead of receiving a pre-packed box like our traditional CSA, they’ll walk through a “market-style” pickup and choose five vegetables/produce items from a display of 8-10 items. In this model, we believe that choice matters. Families are far more likely to cook fresh vegetables when they can select the ones they know they’ll use and enjoy.
But because we are also passionate about pushing people to learn and grow in their eating habits… We’ll also include a weekly Farmer Surprise — one unusual fruit or vegetable to encourage a little adventure. There will also be a Farmer’s Kitchen station where our volunteers can share recipes, offer cooking tips or samples, answer questions, and help families discover new ways to enjoy fresh produce.
Our hope is that Farmer’s Bag Toledo becomes more than a produce pickup. We’re actually hoping it becomes a weekly gathering place where neighbors connect, children get excited about trying new foods, and healthy eating becomes part of the culture of the neighborhood.
Building a Model That Works for Everyone
One thing was incredibly important to us from the very beginning.
We didn’t want to build a program that depended on farmers simply giving away their harvest. Farmers deserve to be paid fairly for the food they grow.
Thanks to generous funding partners – including The Community Feed Foundation in Columbus – the farm will receive the full market value of every subsidized bag distributed through Farmer’s Bag Toledo.
Families who are able can purchase a bag for its full value of $25. Those who qualify for assistance can receive the exact same bag for a community-supported rate of $14. Eventually, families will also have the option to purchase a bag occasionally if a weekly subscription isn’t the right fit.
The participant payments help cover the administrative and marketing costs of this first-year beta test while also creating seed money to improve and expand the program in future seasons.
To us, that’s a win for everyone.
Families gain access to fresh, healthy food. Farmers are paid fairly.
Community organizations invest in healthier neighborhoods. That’s the kind of local food system we want to help build.
Why We’re Calling It a Beta Test
Because this is a brand-new program, we’re intentionally rolling it out in stages.
Beginning July 20, we’ll open enrollment for our weekly Founding Memberships. Our hope is to pre-sell as many of those 50 memberships as possible before the first pickup on Friday, August 7. That’s going to help us answer one of the biggest questions we have right now:
Does this idea have legs?
We’re hoping to serve about 50 families during this first season, but honestly, this is a beta test. We’re going to learn a lot over the next few months.
If we still have openings after August 1, we’ll make any remaining spots available as one-time Farmer’s Bags so families can try the program without committing to a weekly membership.
If Farmer’s Bag Toledo succeeds, we’d love to see this model expand into other Toledo neighborhoods — and perhaps someday into other communities across northwest Ohio.
Maybe this is the beginning of something much bigger than we can currently imagine.
You’re Already Part of This Story
If you’re one of our CSA members or online store customers, I hope you realize something.
You’re already helping make Farmer’s Bag Toledo possible.
Every time you choose to buy your food directly from our farm, you’re strengthening a local food system that allows us to dream bigger, experiment with new ideas, and serve our community in ways that go beyond growing vegetables.
Thank you for believing in what we’re building.
Want to Join the Mission?
If this vision resonates with you, there are two ways you can help.
First, if you’d like to sponsor more subsidized Farmer’s Bags for Toledo families, you can make a donation directly to the nonprofit organization funding this initiative – Community Feed. (We’ll include a donation link below.)
https://communityfeed.org/about
Second, we’d love to have a few members of our farm family volunteer at a Farmer’s Bag Friday this season. You could welcome neighbors, help distribute produce, serve at the Farmer’s Kitchen station, or simply be an encouraging presence. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, send Corinna an email — we’d love to have you join us for one Friday.
We believe farming isn’t just about growing vegetables. It’s about growing healthier people, stronger neighborhoods, and a community where everyone has the opportunity to put fresh food on the table.
We hope Farmer’s Bag Toledo is just the beginning….
Pray for us.