The Food Bank of Delaware officially announced the new Corteva Agriscience Farm this morning at the organization’s future home at 222 Lake Drive in Newark.
Thanks to a $400,000 donation originally from DuPont and now from Corteva Agriscience , Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, the Food Bank of Delaware will proceed on a new four-acre farm featuring two high tunnels and a propagation house.
By fiscal year 2022, the Food Bank will grow 60,000 pounds of produce on site that will support retail sales and surplus produce to Food Bank of Delaware hunger-relief programs.
“Corteva Agriscience is proud to collaborate with the Food Bank of Delaware to provide hunger-relief programs through the new four-acre farm,” said Krysta Harden, external affairs and chief sustainability officer at Corteva Agriscience. “We’re committed to addressing food security issues on both a global and local scale. The Corteva Agriscience Farm demonstrates the commitment we have to providing sustainable solutions for food security.”
Through farm, the Food Bank of Delaware will also launch a new workforce training program in agriculture this fall that will enable the organization to train five students annually for jobs in the agricultural industry. This program will operate alongside the Food Bank’s current food service workforce training program, The Culinary School, and a future program in warehousing and logistics.
“Access to nutritious food is the bedrock of healthy living, and by investing in the Food Bank of Delaware Farm, Corteva Agriscience is making meaningful strides in providing Delawareans with much-needed nourishment,” said U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester. “I applaud the Food Bank of Delaware and Corteva Agriscience for their efforts to not only tackle hunger in the First State but also to train Delawareans on how to grow their own food. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I look forward to continuing our partnership in finding innovative ways to help everyone access good and healthy food.”
“We are thankful that Corteva Agriscience believes in the vision and opportunities that are presented here at 222 Lake Drive,” said Food Bank of Delaware CEO Patricia Beebe. “222 Lake Drive will not be a traditional food bank warehouse. It will be a hub of innovation as we work to end hunger in the First State. This farm will enable us to train Delawareans and grow our on foods to support both social enterprise businesses and our traditional hunger-relief programs.”
Following the formal announcement, students from The Culinary School, the Food Bank’s 14-week culinary arts training program for adults who are unemployed, underemployed and in career transition, prepared a local farm to table breakfast. The breakfast featured foods from local Delaware producers including Fifer Orchards, T.A. Farms, Evans Farms, the Delaware Nature Society and others.
Volunteer opportunities are currently available to assist with a variety of tasks on the Corteva Agriscience Farm. To learn more or to sign up, visitwww.fbd.volunteerhub.com.
