In two years, LIFT-UP’s association with Early Morning Orchard has increased sales by over 150%. But this is not just about numbers—it’s about people.
We help build the strength and resiliency of families, communities, and individuals through the provision of healthy foods. LIFT-UP has a deep commitment to helping people in need. It is our belief that everyone deserves access to healthy food, and we work hard to make it happen.
During the pandemic, so much was lost. Livelihoods, crops, and many clients vanished with the pandemic’s arrival. But instead of having to lay off staff and face ruin, Early Morning Orchard teamed up with LIFT-UP. Since then, we have received exponential support—and all it took was one small order. From there, our partnership developed into what it is today: a mutually beneficial relationship that continues to grow.
The program has allowed the farm to help solve food insecurities but also uplift the lives of farmers and employees. Farmers and staff have benefited from the partnership by receiving raises, improved housing, and other benefits. The farm is able to continue growing with the new infrastructure in place.
Future of Farming through LIFT-UP
The future of farming is sustainable. It’s regenerative, too: We grow nutrient-dense foods and then ensure that everyone gets the nutrients they need through our outreach efforts with LIFT-UP.
It is because of LIFT-UP’s support that we are able to develop and implement sustainable, regenerative farming practices on our farms. We grow, we give, and then we grow more- so we can give more. It’s a new cycle to replace the cycle of poverty.
Our farm is a place where people can come together and work toward a common goal. It’s an opportunity for us to be successful together, as a community. We want to create space for people to learn about the land and how it can help them thrive in their own lives. A return to eating wholesome, nutritious food can help uplift communities more than the simple shelf-stable products that have become staples in America.
Because calorie-dense food like that is often devoid of nourishing qualities, it doesn’t help break the cycle of poverty, hunger, and disease. With LIFT-UP we are able to satiate not only those basic needs— but hope as well.
Helping the hungry and giving everyone, including farmers, an opportunity to succeed.
Feeding families is just the beginning. It opens a door for them, allowing them to move on from their previous situations and into ones that are more empowering. Dedication to feeding people—that’s what it’s really all about!
LIFT-UP saw the need for healthier fresh food options beyond the typical non-perishable canned, boxed, and bagged foods that oftentimes are laden with extra salt and sugars. Some initial grants, from Colorado Blueprint on Hunger, Hunger Free Colorado, and Aspen Community Foundation, allowed for the purchase of fresh meat from Potter Farms as well as produce from local farms.
The Farm to Food Pantry program expansion during the height of the past year’s COVID-19 pandemic was a win-win for our community economically and in providing healthier food options to those struggling with food scarcity and insecurity. After years of encouraging gleaning during fall harvests, partnerships with farmers’ markets and a grocery rescue program that in 2019 received more than 371,000 pounds of fresh produce and dairy, plus the recent grants as outlined above, LIFT-UP had tested the waters.
The Farm to Food Pantry program helped our entire community. This is an economic system that offered improved food offerings, from more producers, through community food sites like the LIFT-UP mobile food distribution sites to the underserved.
“This program will serve to provide, urgent forward-funding for farm fresh purchasing, as well as the necessary infrastructure to serve our region safely and efficiently:
One thing that is certain in the world of nutrition is that fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the best way to combat chronic disease, doing this affordably is possible by purchasing what is in season and resisting spending money on processed foods. “
Stephanie Nick, Cooking Matters Program Coordinator, Garfield County Public Health.
THE F2FP PROCESS
Through grants and donations, LIFT-UP will make purchasing commitments to local (Parachute to Aspen corridor) farms and ranchers as well as regionally for additional produce and dairy.
STAPLES
SPICES
DRIED FOODS
CULTURAL
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