This past week marked the official beginning of the Twin Villages Foodbank Farm’s (TVFF’s) fourth growing season. Farmers Sara Cawthon and Kaitlyn Gardner got things underway in the greenhouse with the seeding of 10,000 onion plants that will find their way into TVFF’s farm fields in early May. In the coming weeks, many more crops will be seeded including broccoli, cabbage, peppers, lettuce, beets, kale, chard, squash, and flowers.

Started in 2015, Twin Villages Foodbank Farm (TVFF) grows on two acres of fertile farmland donated by Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, formerly Damariscotta River Association, on Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. Coastal Rivers also provides administrative support for the farm.

In its first four years, TVFF has become a highly valued partner to Lincoln County food pantries and low-income youth food programs. TVFF delivers vegetables to pantries in Boothbay, Jefferson, Newcastle, Waldoboro, Whitefield and Wiscasset. The farm also donates fresh produce to food education programs including FARMS at the Y and the Morris Farm School Cooking program.

In 2019, the farm will expand to support regular deliveries to local Head Start programs in Newcastle, Waldoboro, and Whitefield and School Pantry programs.

Another benefit TVFF has brought to the community is the food storage hub located in Coastal Rivers’ Darrows Barn at Round Top Farm. The basement of the barn underwent renovations last year to create space for a food-safe storage facility. This food storage hub features a 15-foot by 20-foot walk-in cooler as well as room for dry food storage. The space meets the storage needs of the farm and makes it possible to keep vegetables fresh into the winter months, when pantries generally see an increase in the number of individuals and families they serve.

The hub also provides much-needed overflow storage space for Lincoln County food pantries, which have sometimes had to turn away donations due to lack of space.

Twin Villages Foodbank Farm operates on a modified Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, where community members can purchase a symbolic farm share that will feed a family in need throughout the growing season.

To learn more about how to support the farm, go to twinvillagesfarm.org, email Farm Manager Sara Cawthon at scawthon@twinvillagesfarm.org, or visit the fields during the outdoor growing season at 110 Belvedere Road in Damariscotta.