Choctaw Fresh Produce provides assistance to Tribe
Choctaw Fresh Produce has stepped up to serve the community during the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering over 4,000 pounds of organic produce to Tribal members who were in quarantine. From May through July, the certified organic farm, which typically sells its produce primarily to the Pearl River Resort, instead provided food free-of-charge to Tribal members sheltering at home.
"We normally sell our produce to the resort for use in its various restaurants as well as the employee dining room," said Daphne Snow, Farm Manager. "When the resort closed in March, we were faced with the question of what to do with our vegetables as we began harvesting from the high tunnels where we grow our food."
As the coronavirus began to spread quickly throughout the Tribe, Choctaw Fresh Produce developed a plan to provide free food to those people quarantining in their homes. The organization worked with the Tribal administration, which purchased the produce at a reduced price, and with Choctaw Public Health which delivered the boxes to homes in the community. Choctaw Fresh Produce harvested the vegetables and boxed them for delivery.
In addition to providing over 400 boxes of produce for people in the community, Choctaw Fresh Produce also opened the farm on four separate days for "U-Pick Harvesting," during which Tribal members were allowed to bring containers to the farms and pick the vegetables themselves. The fresh vegetables included tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, hot peppers, snap beans, lima beans, and tomato berries.
"The U-Pick Harvests were a chance for us to clear out the vegetables from our tunnels at the end of the season, and also provide free food for any Tribal members who wanted to participate," said Tomika Bell, Local Food Coordinator. "It was exciting to see parents bring their children to the farms and let them experience the workings of an organic farm. We only allowed five people in at a time, and masks were required in order to keep everyone safe."