Where are we going to put all this food?
Early on in our work, we realized an unexpected need in our community.
We began to see that quality food storage space was a concern for our food pantry partners. In fact, there were times when pantries had to turn away donations of food because they didn’t have room to store it.
At the same time, the farm was growing. In partnership with Damariscotta River Association (now Coastal Rivers), TVFF was given the opportunity to repurpose the basement of Coastal Rivers’ Darrows Barn at Round Top Farm in Damariscotta.
In 2018, with generous grant funding and support from the community, the Darrows Barn Food Storage Hub was completed. With room for both fresh and non-perishable storage, the Hub now provides a central location where Lincoln County food pantries can store their farm bounty when space is limited at their own locations.
The roomy walk-in cooler at the hub also makes it possible to keep veggies fresh into the winter months when pantry demand increases and fresh farm donations tend to taper off.
And what a difference it is making for the community! We invite you to see for yourself. Check out this video to learn more about the Hub and how it is helping TVFF and our local partners combat food insecurity in Lincoln County.