Finding and accessing fresh produce can be easier in the summer and fall when crops are bountiful.

Now, thanks to a grant from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, a community organization is helping bring fresh food to people during the farming off season.

We are a certified organic farm right outside of Louisville in Oldham County, and we raise livestock, sheep as well as chickens and certified organic veggies.

We have been working with a local nonprofit, New Roots, for about ten years now, bringing weekly farm share boxes to families throughout the area.

And I saw this grant opportunity advertised from the Kentucky Department of AG, and it seemed like a great opportunity to try something new.

We thought it would be a great opportunity to work with our nonprofit partner and new roots to see if they were interested in testing out expanded access in the winter months.

Normally we've ended in October, so this was a way to keep getting food to families.

Beyond that.

The grant is just over $40,000 and it's over a three year period and it helps to cover the costs of expansion for our farm rebound farm.

Also other farm partners and our partners at new routes.

We actually use that money to help feed senior living high rises in Louisville.

This is actually the third year we've been doing it, and this came out of just talking with the community.

Finding out that senior citizens don't have different dietary restrictions and needs.

And so we tailored a program to fit their needs and it has been very well, and we're implementing it in other senior buildings as well.

We started this market over here three years ago.

I'm a resident here, Friendship House, and we decided that we needed to do something to bring fresh vegetables to the people here.

We don't have a grocery store here.

Our grocery store closed, I think almost seven years ago.

Kroger moved out.

Now we do have that Kroger bus that comes by once a week, and that's helpful.

But as far as getting fresh food in here in the offseason, it's very difficult.

During the winter, it actually became a big part on our farmers.

They actually helped and stepped up because they built high tunnels are basically like greenhouses where they're able to still grow leafy greens in the winter time.

These type of growing spaces allow us to protect crops from frost and freezes, and they push that growing season into December, late into November, December, January and even February.

Our farm has been working to expand our production here to be able to continue producing food throughout the year, but then also pushing pushing our customers a little bit, you know, to really look to local farms for the winter months as well.

It's really important that people have access to organic vegetables.

And there are there's so high priced in the market and new roots makes them affordable for everybody so everybody can eat healthy and and enjoy it.

We believe that everyone having the right to fresh food can help health in a multitude of ways.

It's a health issue that we need to solve.

I believe that the fresh fruit is a basic human right.

I think that we have the capacity to grow enough healthy, good, nutritious food for everyone.

We just have to find the ways to break down the barriers that are keeping that from happening.