WEBER COUNTY, Utah — A farm in Weber County is trying to help put fresh food on the table for families who are struggling.
According to the Utah Food Bank, about one in seven Utahns is food insecure, and that’s about the same in Weber County as well.
As Ogden Bay Produce winds down for the season, volunteers came out to collect all the produce left on the farm to donate to local food pantries.
"If all this produce is going to freeze in the next few days, why not get it off and get it to good use,” said Matt Peterson. “If it can benefit someone in need, then let’s do it,” he said.
Matt said his wife, Ashley Peterson, wanted to find a way to give back to the community. He said it’s their way of thanking the community for supporting the wholesale and U-Pick farms.
Matt is a sixth-generation farmer and started the U-Pick farm to help people understand what it is like to be on a farm and have access to fresh, affordable food.
Anna Cash owns "Smart Home Canning" to teach people how to preserve their food and help combat food insecurity.
She helps collect unused produce from local gardens and farms and teamed up with Ogden Bay Produce to do that here. She said the produce will go to the Weber Fridge, Catholic Community Services and the Tri-City Exchange.
At a time when the number of people who need help is rising so fast, neighbors stepped up to do their part for each other.
"Especially where we live in Ogden, with the IRS building, some of that was shut down, it just has impacted our community in such a huge way," Cash said. "We are seeing more people visiting the food bank and the need is higher."
Volunteers like Yesenia Salgado picked a variety of peppers and tomatoes fresh off the vines.
"Feels really nice,” she said. “Feels great to be able to give back to our community and to help another family or families who are in need and are actually going to use this food."
It's been a tough year for farmers across the state, with a virus hitting tomato plants, early freezes and water shortages, But Ashley said their farm did better than some others.
"We just feel very blessed, so if we can give a little back, then that is amazing,” Ashley said.
They harvested hundreds of pounds of produce in just a couple of hours, hoping to help make a stranger feel loved, cared for and fed.
"It just makes me so grateful to live in a community where people show up like this,” Ashley added.