VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Regional Food Bank is celebrating 20 years of operating a sustainable farm in Albany County. On Monday, the Food Bank announced plans to expand Patroon Land Farm with a new Agricultural Hub initiative.
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Through the farm, the Food Bank already provides hunger relief to 23 counties, spanning from the lower Hudson Valley to the Canadian border. But the Agricultural Hub initiative will allow the nonprofit to increase its produce and farm distribution to 30 million pounds a year.
The hub will expand the capacity to grow, source and distribute fresh food. To make this happen, production will be enhanced at Patroon Land Farm, greenhouse and high tunnel infrastructure will be added across key distribution sites, and partnerships with local farms will be strengthened.
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To kick off the new initiative, the Food Bank announced a $1 million federal grant was secured by Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. The grant will go toward infrastructure improvements at Patroon Land Farm, in addition to allowing for more volunteer opportunities, staff and education experiences and the expansion of capacity.
A small farm team works alongside over 2,800 annual volunteers who seed, plant, weed, water, prune and harvest more than 50 varieties of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs from Patroon Land Farm. Since 2006, over 1.8 million pounds of produce has been harvested and distributed…