In LaRue County in central Kentucky, a third-generation farmer is transferring ripe tomatoes from vine to box to truck.
Some of the tomatoes have blemishes and would not be a shopper’s first choice at the supermarket. But they are 90% perfect, edible and healthy, and these boxes are headed into the hands—and bellies—of people in need.
“Farmers grow produce—even imperfect produce—with the intention of feeding people,” explains Kristin Ingwell-Goode, director of development at Feeding Kentucky, the not-for-profit organization that oversees the fair distribution of food through seven food banks that serve the state.
“We share the bounty of Kentucky’s farmers with food-insecure folks who get a beautiful, healthy tomato on their plate, regardless of their income,” she says.
Launched in 2011, the Farmers Feeding Kentucky initiative has become a signature program of Feeding Kentucky. In 2024, more than 3.7 million pounds of produce and protein items were purchased from local farmers and distributed through the statewide food bank network.
Much of the produce was imperfect, Ingwell-Goode notes, allowing Feeding Kentucky to purchase it in bulk at an average of $0.32 a pound—far cheaper than produce could be purchased in grocery stores.
The program “helps us maximize dollars and feed people free of charge. And, it helps us compensate the farmer for their labor,” she explains.
