Treasure Coast Food Bank invites the public to a special Food for Thought tour and luncheon at its produce processing plant on Wednesday, July 25. The tour will highlight the future of feeding the Treasure Coast featuring locally sourced, nutritious produce.
The produce processing plant enables Treasure Coast Food Bank to significantly increase the amount of fresh, nutritious food for people who are food-insecure. It is the heart of Treasure Coast Food Bank’s Florida Agriculture and Nourishment Collaborative, a program that has created jobs and training opportunities, and provided a new market for area farmers. It became fully operational last fall.
During summer, the focus is on preparing hundreds of nutritious meals each day for area children fed through Treasure Coast Food Bank’s Summer Meals program.
The event runs from 10:30 a.m. to Noon at the plant, located at 3051 Industrial 25th St., Fort Pierce, and includes a lunch featuring the same fresh produce and hand-made sandwiches and wraps that are helping the kids in the Summer Meals program eat healthy.
“The processing plant is the culmination of a long-time goal for us at Treasure Coast Food Bank, and the result is more nutritious food to more people who are food-insecure on the Treasure Coast and throughout South Florida,” said President and CEO Judith Cruz. “This season, Treasure Coast Food Bank marks its 30th anniversary, and we’re excited that the future of feeding the Treasure Coast will include fresh local food processed in our plant.”
The produce processing plant extends the shelf life of produce, thus expanding the number of people who have access to it through two systems – a wash/chop/packaging system to convert whole produce into pre-cut portions, and a cook/vacuum-pack system to convert raw vegetables into ready-to-use products, such as tomato sauce, sautéed vegetables, or soups.
While the processing plant’s operation fluctuates with the South Florida growing season, the focus always turns to feeding children during summer. Each day, hundreds of fresh-made sandwiches and wraps, hand-made salads, and fresh cut fruits and vegetable go out to sites across the Treasure Coast. The meals fill the hunger void for kids who rely on the school cafeteria and whose families don’t always have enough to eat.
The tour and lunch is free, but registration is required, and space is limited. To reserve a spot, please contact Rebecca Rodriguez at rrodriguez@tcfoodbank.org or 772-446-1757.
