In 2018, JK Moving Services launched the JK Community Farm, a philanthropic effort designed to alleviate hunger by growing and harvesting crops and protein and donating them to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC region. The Farm has continued to grow and expand and is currently the largest chemical-free nonprofit farm in the United States.
The Farm believes that everyone should have access to healthy and organic food. To that end, the Farm is dedicated to providing fresh, organic fruit, vegetables, and protein to the food insecure. A healthy diet is a priority for reducing chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
What’s in store for the Farm in 2023?
This year, the Farm is excited to reach a monumental goal: a total of one million pounds of organic produce and protein donated to food pantry partners since its inception. And they are on track to produce 245,000 pounds (196,000 meals) this season, which will be distributed to families facing food insecurity in Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, and Washington, DC through partnerships with Food for Others and the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The Farm also has been working with Loudoun Hunger Relief since 2018. The nonprofit organization acts as a produce hub to ensure that smaller food pantries throughout the county have access to what the Farm grows as well.
In addition to providing access to healthy food, the Farm provides food education to make future generations in the community aware of the importance of food, where it came from, and how it can impact your health. 2023 will see the expansion of the Farm’s food education program. They have developed a curriculum in alignment with the Virginia standards of learning to educate students who participate in school-sponsored field trips to the Farm on nutrition and agriculture. There is also a full self-guided field trip curriculum, which allows parents and caregivers to learn with their children on their own at the Farm.
With a staff of three, the Farm hosts more than 4,500 volunteers each year, most of whom participating in corporate team building events from companies throughout Northern Virginia. The companies typically stay for a catered lunch at the Farm or visit a local brewery or winery following their event to support our local Loudoun businesses.
To support the Farm, information on volunteering is available on the JK Community Farm website. A $35 donation allows the Farm to grow an additional two weeks of meals for a family facing food insecurity.