HEALTHFUL FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY: Staff members of Fairgrown Farm, which is partnering with The Chubby’s Project to provide weekly farm shares at no cost to local families who are food-insecure.

By Anne Levin

For the past five years, Fairgrown Farm in Hopewell has been operating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for members who pay upwards of $26 a week, during the summer months, for their share of the season’s harvest. Participants get a box of freshly-picked vegetables and fruit from Fairgrown Farm and the several others with which they collaborate across New Jersey.

James Klett, who started Fairgrown Farm seven years ago with his brother, Alex, is enthusiastic about the popular CSA program. But he believes that fresh, nourishing produce should not be limited to those who can afford the weekly supplement. Aware that more than 800,000 people in New Jersey are food insecure, Fairgrown Farm has partnered with The Chubby’s Project, a Hopewell-based nonprofit dedicated to food justice. The joint initiative is designed to provide farm shares for area families who would otherwise not be able to afford them. Fundraising for the project is currently underway.

“We’re trying to raise money to purchase farm shares for local families that are food insecure,” Klett said. “The issue we have in this country is that people don’t have access to good nutrition — fresh produce that is nutrient-dense and healthy. Just because someone is food-insecure doesn’t mean they should have only low-quality food. A lot of people think of food donation as bottom-of-the-barrel, all canned and processed foods instead of organic produce. But it shouldn’t have to be that way.”

Those who receive the shares will get 30 weeks of fresh produce, delivered either directly to their homes, or picked up on the farm. The goal for the first year is to support 70 families in the Hopewell, Princeton, Ewing, and Montgomery area.

“Fairgrown Farm is honored to stand alongside The Chubby’s Project in the fight against hunger, showcasing the impact of local collaboration in making a meaningful difference in the lives of the many people in our community facing food insecurity,” reads a press release from the farm.

The Chubby’s Project is based at the popular Hopewell eatery Aunt Chubby’s Luncheonette. The two different entities work together, operating a lunch program and food pantry that connects recipients, volunteers, donors, and food service workers. The restaurant provides meals, infrastructure, labor, and buys food and packaging at cost. The project pays for the restaurant’s contribution using funds from grants and private donations.

For the initiative, Fairgrown Farm is discounting its shares of seven different vegetables each week. The Chubby’s Project raises the money in order to provide the shares to participants in need at zero cost. Any food-insecure household in the local area can take part in the program and receive fresh produce from May through November.

Some 30 families currently rely on The Chubby’s Project for a weekly meal. “That’s a fragment of what is needed,” said Klett. “We’re a lot wider than that. There is really a huge need that goes under the radar. Even in Montgomery, the second wealthiest town in the state, there is a huge discrepancy. That is true for Princeton, too.”

Families that take part in the program can not only receive shares, but can opt to visit the farm to pick their own produce.

“There is a whole level of exposure that kids might benefit from,” said Klett. “Parents can bring them out to the farm, and there is an inherent education involved. They get to see how things are planted and how they grow, and that’s important.”

Donations can be made online at gofundme.com/f/fresh-produce-for-hopewell-neighbors, or by contacting The Chubby’s Project at foundation­@auntchubbys.com. Intake forms are available on the GoFundMe page.