The Hunger Coalition broke ground in June for a community farm. Located in Quigley Canyon east of Hailey, Bloom Community Farm will provide many opportunities for youth and adults through growing and accessing healthy, local food. The farm will start as a half-acre pilot program and increase to 1 ½ acres in subsequent years. There are a total of five acres available for future use thanks to Quigley Farm, who is leasing the land for $1 per year to The Hunger Coalition.

 
Modeled on existing successful programs across the country, such as Volunteering for Veggies, Discount Mobile Markets for seniors, and sliding scale Community Supported Agriculture, Bloom Community Farm will help The Hunger Coalition craft new programs to meet the changing needs of individuals and families in Blaine County. 
 
“These types of programs provide multiple avenues for community members to access the healthy food they deserve,” said Lynea Petty, Food Production Manager at The Hunger Coalition.
 
In 2017, The Hunger Coalition will also implement a youth-focused growing program with teens working on the farm. “With the youth piece of the program, we hope to develop resiliency, foster life skills, and teach coping mechanisms to local youth to help them blossom into healthy, contributing community members,” said Jeanne Liston, Executive Director of The Hunger Coalition.  
 
“The Bloom Community Farm hopes to nurture our community by bringing people together in a family-friendly environment and to connect with the land,” said Naomi Spence, Associate Director. “It’s a ‘good for you place’, providing a gathering place for community members to meet around food, get their hands dirty, and get back to the basics of growing food,” added Spence. 
 
The Hunger Coalition hopes that Bloom Community Farm will provide a place for diverse partnerships with local organizations and continued expansion of food production programs supporting the health and well-being of all community members and their families. They are eager to build upon their successes in emergency food assistance by expanding their programming to reach a broader community.
 
The Hunger Coalition is seeking volunteers to assist with the startup of Bloom Community Farm. Volunteer needs range from fence and structure building to weeding and bed planting and provide a great opportunity to get the whole family involved. Call Rachel Shinn, Volunteer Manager at 788-0121 or email rshinn@thehungercoalition.org. The farm is located at the south side of Quigley Canyon, past Wood River High School at the end of Fox Acres Rd.
 
The public will be invited to join The Hunger Coalition for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October during Idaho Hunger Awareness Month. Stay tuned!
 
The Hunger Coalition strives to end hunger in our community by providing wholesome food to those in need and by promoting solutions to the underlying causes of hunger through collaboration, education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.thehungercoalition.org or call 788-0121.