By Caroline Croland
Kelvin Thomas understands the importance of fresh food.
“We acknowledge that income level is a deciding factor when it comes to food access, and it was incredibly important to us to ensure that our families, especially those with young children, were able to obtain fresh food during this pandemic,” said Thomas, Director of Early Childhood & Family Services and head of the Enrichment Services Program (ESP) in Columbus.
Pre-pandemic, his program served more than 1,000 children and families across 11 sites in eight counties. Their centers would provide support by distributing food boxes, diapers, formula, and gift cards to families in need.
Like so many other programs, ESP was forced to reexamine their approach in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since their centers closed in late March, Thomas has been working to find innovative solutions to support his community members who are dealing with the ramifications of the virus.
One of those solutions came when Allison Setterlind, State Head Start Collaboration Director, introduced Thomas to the “Farm to Early Care and Education” initiative which connected Thomas to Georgia Organics and The Common Market Southeast.
“When Georgia Organics reached out about the farm boxes, Kelvin saw an opportunity to help families in a new way,” Setterlind said. “He wanted to make sure that his constituents were not only receiving processed food during the pandemic. He was committed to ensuring that his families and kids had access to fresh vegetables. That is what sets him apart as an exceptional head start director- he puts energy into new collaborations that pull in new opportunities from the community. Everyone came together and wanted it to work, it was so expedient! Working with The Common Market was completely different than working with a standard vendor--- it was never about pushing the product, there was such a sense of urgency about getting the food from the farms into the hands of the community.”
Picking up seeds and grow guides from the ESP drive-through. Photos courtesy of Kelvin Thomas.
April 8th, ESP Head start hosted a drive-through distribution for one hundred and sixty five families across four sites. These boxes included fresh, locally grown food sourced by the Common Market.
In addition, families received essentials items including paper towels, diapers, and toilet paper as well as green bean, cucumber, squash and watermelon seeds sourced from Seed Programs International, a non-profit providing seeds and technical assistance for humanitarian organizations.
These items were accompanied by learning packets supplied by Georgia Organics.
Not only did this initiative feed over one hundred and sixty five families, it also led to $3,000 in direct sales to local farmers, sourcing produce from eight different family owned farms. The Common Market Southeast was able to offer their Food Access Discount to the Enrichment Services program which helped make this distribution possible.
The ESP team packing drive-thru supply distributions. Photo courtesy of Enrichment Services Program, Inc. Facebook.
Thomas hopes to continue to integrate programs that provide local food to the families that he serves.
“The community response was overwhelmingly positive—parents absolutely loved the boxes and the learning activities,” said Thomas. “It is so important to plant the seeds of healthy eating early on. The planting instructions, recipes, and educational activities provided by Georgia Organics help families interact with and prepare produce that they might not otherwise have access to.”
Creating these connections is a core aspect Georgia Organics’ Farm to School work.
Seeds and how-to-grow sheets were distributed along with the produce boxes. Photos courtesy of Kelvin Thomas.
Kimberly Della Donna, Farm to School Director at Georgia Organics, loves to see these types of partnerships being formed.
“We admire the program that Kelvin and ESP have created to empower Columbus community members to eat and be healthy while supporting local farmers,” she said.
“We hope that they enjoy growing and nurturing their gardens while we’re all apart.”
To learn more about Enrichment Services Program, visit enrichmentservices.org or follow them on social media at facebook.com/enrichmentservicesprogram and twitter.com/espcaa.
Caroline is the Fundraising Coordinator at Georgia Organics. To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit www.georgiaorganics.org and follow us on Instagram @GeorgiaOrganics, Twitter @GeorgiaOrganics, and at www.Facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.