See Beautiful Grant Applicant: Harvest 107

The feature below is brought to you by Harvest 107, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
 
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.

FOOD IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

What comes to mind when you hear the word injustice? For many of us, we immediately gravitate towards causes we see everyday in the media. But how often do we think about hunger? Would it devastate you to know that there are people in this world, potentially your own friend or neighbor, that don’t know where their next meal is coming from? It was devastating for a 12-year-old girl who learned about it in 2013.

That year, Gracie Pfaff read a book about a failing family farm that was revived after sustainable practices were taught to the children of their community. Through loss and learning, the community was able to lift themselves not only out of hunger, but poverty as well. This inspired Gracie to do more research on hunger, malnutrition and to seek out an answer to her question: how could a family with a farm be going hungry? Through this research, she learned there were approximately 870 million people suffering from chronic hunger. Rather than allow that number to overwhelm her, she chose to make a difference; and the idea for Harvest107 was born.

At Harvest107, we know that 3 billion people aren't getting the nutrition they need. We believe everyone deserves healthy food to eat, so we help people grow organic, nutritious vegetables to end hunger sustainably.

Over 60% of those who are hungry and undernourished are women and children. While the ins and outs of hunger are complex, there’s one thing we know for sure: women are the key to ending hunger, especially in developing nations. That's why we train female farmers sustainability, health, and agriculture entrepreneurship. Through our SHE Initiative and Family Farm Pack program, we are providing women and their families with the information and tools they need to successfully and sustainably grow their own organic, fresh vegetables.

​We are honored to work with over 50 female farmers in Haiti and to witness their growth! Before the agribusiness and sustainable agriculture classes and assistance, the women and their families were eating vegetables about once a week. But after the courses, they’re now averaging about 4 times per week. Not only has their nutrition improved, they have also improved both the quality and quantity of their crop, and the ability to sell their product for a better price. We are watching their lives improve in so many ways.

Harvest107 is also helping attack hunger by teaching the next generation about growing fresh, organic food, and how caring for the environment means a healthier future. We do this by working with schools (in both the U.S. and Haiti) to build gardens and implement these lessons through our speciality student sustainability course. Providing children with this knowledge has a multiplying effect, as they take home what they’ve learned to their family and friends, and one day will pass it on to their own children. Starting at school means that generations of people will be able to live healthier, thriving lives with full bellies. Through our school garden programs, we have been able to directly impact the lives of over 300 students.

2020 was a difficult year for everyone. When the pandemic arrived in Haiti, the farmers we work with were temporarily unable to sell at market in Haiti because they didn’t have access to masks and other necessities required to do so. This challenge allowed us to team up with a local artisan business to have masks made for the women and their families to get them back to market. Within the past year, there have been many unique challenges like this, but we have been able to keep working hard through it all. In Haiti, the price of food drastically increased because of the pandemic. With the expense of food rising, it becomes increasingly difficult to have access to the nutrition families need. Our work is more important now than ever before!

Over the past 7 years, Harvest107 has been able to help thousands of people achieve food security and this is just the beginning. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job - we won’t stop until every person has access to healthy, nutritious foods. Let’s end hunger one garden at a time.

Submitted by ​Rhiana Pfaff

Executive Director, Harvest107