A Metro Vancouver farm that grows crops almost entirely for food banks says a lack of volunteers has left produce rotting in the field.
Jas Singh of the God’s Little Acre farm in Surrey expects to produce 200,000 pounds of vegetables this summer, including corn, potatoes and carrots, but without enough hands to help harvest the crops, much of it is already going to waste.
Thousands of cauliflower heads that should have been picked and sent to Lower Mainland food banks two weeks ago are already too old, as are mounds of broccoli, beans and lettuce.
“This could make me literally cry. We planted it in the greenhouse and we brought it out here and transplanted it,” Singh told CTV News. “We’re just at that panic point right now.”
The situation is heartbreaking for Singh, who left behind a corporate job two years ago to start a new life as a farmer.
Beginning with a three-acre crop in 2011, he was able to harvest 62,000 pounds of potatoes for the Surrey Food Bank. This year, he expanded his operation to 37 acres.
But before his increasing haul of crops can make it to food banks and soup kitchens, Singh needs more help.
“Ten people here could easily unload 50,000 pounds of this in about two hours,” Singh said.
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Singh at 604-375-1172 or by email.
Those who can’t volunteer but wish to support the farm by do so by purchasing pickling cucumbers, which were planted to make the farm self-sufficient.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Michele Brunoro
