I’ll be honest with you, I became interested in Share The Harvest in East Hampton because I saw Hugh Jackman’s Instagram post where he walked around picking vegetables. But the more I learned about it, the more I felt compelled to write about it.
It’s sort of unbelievable what they do.
To put it directly, Share The Harvest provides local, organic produce to food pantries and the needy in the Hamptons. You’d be surprised how many people are in this category on the East End.
I just find this such an incredibly powerful and wonderful idea. In the Hamptons, especially if you’re local, food is expensive, like really expensive. I’ve seen, even at large grocery stores, shocking prices for simple things like strawberries and blueberries. If you go to a farm stand or specialty grocery store, it’s even worse. Without a doubt, there is a large class of people who struggle and cannot afford healthy food, especially families with children. Share The Harvest Farm has not only provided a crutch for these people but also has been able to draw attention to the problem.
Most of those who go hungry in the Hamptons are people who work but are in impossible situations, whether from family, a mistake with the law, a loss of job or an illness. We are talking about people that could use a little help and are also cleaning your house at night, hoping that you’ll pay in cash instead of a check.
Share The Harvest is there for them, and they provide food that is now considered to be a luxury in the world today. Who would have thought that growing food out of the ground near where you live would be such a thing?
Share the Harvest started with a half acre, a group of volunteers, borrowed tools, and a dream. Today they farm six acres in East Hampton with year-round staff and seasonal interns, and field crew. The team includes Meredith Arm (Farm Stand and Creative Director), Matt Quirk, (Farm Field Manager), Bess Rattray (Crew Chief and Volunteer Director), as well as John Malafronte, Mariah Whitmore, Ira Bezoza, Jesse Wellen, Max Plesset and Steven Shachat. John Malafronte is the founder of the program, who passed away in 2021.
I’m sort of angry at myself for never knowing about this farm, but I’m glad now that I do. You can donate to Share The Harvest Farm by visiting https://www.sharetheharvestfarm.org/donate
