Fresh for All

On Saturdays, near West Enders and eager locavores infiltrate the parking-lot-cum-farmers-market at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, seeking to fill their reusable grocery bags with sweet-smelling peaches, shiny heirloom tomatoes and top-quality grass-fed beef. Two days later, an entirely different clientele arrives at the church, also hunting food for their families, but without the ability to pay for it. They too will have the chance to pick and choose from market produce — perhaps their only opportunity all week to incorporate fresh food into their diet.

"The folks who are coming in, they don’t get fresh food, and they just light up when they see the opportunity to have something even as simple as tomatoes or onions — stuff that we take for granted that we get at the grocery store or the farmers market," said Gene LeCouteur, the church’s associate for Christian formation and education. "It was excitement from the beginning, but also a little bit of amazement because they aren’t offered fresh stuff like this."

This year, St. Stephens inaugurated a gleaning program, in which it asks its market vendors to consider donating leftover food to the church’s food pantry, which serves, on average, 30 to 40 families a week. Ali and Lisa Moussalli, the proprietors of Frog Bottom Farm in Appomattox County, suggested the idea.

"It’s not a newfangled idea," said Ali, who estimates that he donates at least 100 pounds a week. "In the food business, produce is perishable so when you don’t sell it on time, it won’t make it to the next time you go to market. I don’t want to load a truckful of produce again to go home and throw it away."

Each week, church volunteers and staff members stack up bins of produce donated by vendors like Frog Bottom, Fertile Crescent Farm, Flores Produce and Greenway Beef and haul them into the church kitchen, where they will be stored over the weekend. On Monday, volunteers arrive to sort the produce and then food pantry clients arrive between 1 and 3 p.m. to make their selections. Any leftovers are then donated to Peter Paul Development Center, where they are incorporated into meals for that organization’s clients.

"Just because it’s leftover from the market doesn’t mean it’s bad," said LeCouteur. "In fact, it’s fresher than what they would get if they went to the grocery store."

The gleaning program falls in line with the church’s wellness ministry, which encourages healthy habits, life balance and holistic approaches to a healthy mind, body and soul. Last spring, market manager Erin Wright hosted a seminar based on "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan, a leader in the local foods movement, and the church offers classes on tai chi and yoga.

"Church is something more than just Sunday morning," said LeCouteur. "The food pantry, farmers market, taking care of yourself, taking care of others — that’s all ministry that we should be doing as well."

As part of its food ministry, the church places baskets at every entrance before Sunday morning church and asks that its parishioners donate canned goods to the food pantry. A "grocery store" is available on site for those who forget their donations. This summer, the church started encouraging its members to donate extra produce from their own gardens, amplifying the fresh offerings available at the food pantry. Still, the bulk of the perishables comes from the market vendors.

"The produce is especially helpful now that pantry supplies are running low," said Wright. "Church attendance tends to wane during the summer months, and with that, the canned goods stop coming too."

While the gleaning program does require a few extra volunteers, it doesn’t cost the church anything and they, along with the vendors, are able to provide a less fortunate population with fresh, healthy food to which they otherwise would not have access.

"It just makes you feel better," said Moussalli. "It makes you feel like you’re not wasting."