Community Action brings local vegetables to low-income families
through Farm to Preschool program View full sizeSarah Cooper
usually buys her groceries from a low-price supermarket, where
she says produce is cheapest. The 26-year-old Beaverton woman
has a 2-year-old daughter and a tight budget. But recently, she
and her family have been eating organic vegetables grown by
local farmers as participants of the new Farm to Preschool
program. “I don’t usually get a chance to get local produce,”
she said. “It tastes a lot better. I feel like I’m getting my
vitamins better, too.” Farm to Preschool is run by Community
Action, a nonprofit organization that strives to alleviate
issues of poverty in Washington County, through its Home Based
Early Head Start program. That program prepares Hillsboro and
Beaverton children, age 3 and under, for kindergarten and
focuses on parent involvement. The 79 families enrolled in Home
Based Early Head Start receive $10 worth of fresh produce from
local farmers once a month for six mo