Assemblyman Peters and Assemblywoman Stanfield farm to fight food insecurity

LUMBERTON – Assemblyman Ryan Peters and Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield will be harvesting leftover crops from two local farms in Southampton on Wednesday, August 19. The 8th District team will deliver the gleaned food to the Food Bank of South Jersey to help feed local residents.

“The cost of food has risen considerably during this pandemic, while at the same time, many households are struggling to pay bills and wondering where their next meal will come from,” Peters said. “What many people need most at times like this is fresh, healthy produce, and we’re doing everything we can to get that to them.”

Peters and Stanfield will be picking crops at Gower Nurseries and the Rancocas Creek Farm. It is part of their monthly, “Day of Service,” program where their district office volunteers to help local communities and nonprofits. Since the pandemic hit, the team has focused its “Day of Service” efforts on fighting against food insecurity. They have held five free meal drives for seniors that resulted in 1,100 free meals, as well as hosted a food drive to fill the Food Bank of South Jersey that stocked two vans full of food.

“We know that food insecurity is affecting many people for the first time this year. Gleaning is an easy way to allow communities to recover healthy, wholesome produce and help feed those who are in need,” Stanfield said. “We can’t thank Grower Nurseries and Rancocas Creek Farm enough for allowing us to work on their farm and donate their leftover produce. Our local farmers are what makes South Jersey so special, and they really showed out in a big way in this instance.”

Please reach out to 8^th Legislative District Community Event Coordinator Nikki Maskell at nmaskell@njleg.org if you’d like to volunteer for any future “Day of Service” event.