GROWing Good Food in the Delta

When Chiquikta Fountain, the Executive Director of Delta Hands for Hope, noticed that kids were leaving school hungry, she knew she had to do something about it. With the GROW grant they received, they launched an After School Nutrition Program that now serves hot, nutritious meals to K-8th grade students twice a week.

“Our students are now eager to find out what’s on the menu for their meal, learn about different types of produce, and how to make healthy snack alternatives at home,” said Fountain. “The GROW grant has literally sowed the seeds for this program to take shape and we are so grateful and appreciative of the opportunity.”

Students enjoying an after-school meal at Delta Hands for Hope.

With some of the richest soil in the country, the Mississippi Delta is the perfect place to teach youth how to plant, harvest, and sell produce — and that’s exactly what the Delta Blues Camp is doing.

With the GROW grant they received, they started a community garden, where Delta kids are learning how to grow local crops like butter beans, peas, and tomatoes. They’re also learning how to market, brand, and sell their produce at a local farmers market, gaining early exposure to farming as a career.

Planting in the new community garden.

“This funding turned our long-term dreams into immediate plans,” said Dorfus Young Jr, Farmer Manager and Chief Marketer of Young Family Farm. “We’re building something lasting for our youth — and for our entire community.”

Tulane MB Church has been a long-standing pillar of support for residents of Yazoo City, MS. They run a pantry, but they’ve struggled in the past to stock it with fresh produce. With the GROW grant they received, they were able to source sweet potatoes, fresh collards, and mustard greens from local growers. They also purchased a “truckload” of topsoil to start laying the foundation for a new community garden.

Local resident Linda Harris purchases produce from local farmer Edward Evans at Tulane Baptist Church.

“The pantry at Tulane MB Church has been a blessing,” said local resident Patricia Stuckey. “They give out fresh fruits and vegetables, and on days when you run short on meat, it really makes a difference.”

For small-scale farmers in the Mississippi Delta, the ability to expand often hinges on new equipment they can’t afford. For Reverend Bennie Brown, Assistant Community Manager of But God Ministries and Farm Manager of Uptown Brown Farm, the GROW grant allowed him to purchase much-needed equipment to boost his farm’s output, allowing him to grow produce for local markets and PHA’s Good Food at Home program in the Delta.

Rev. Brown is also using the equipment to support other local farmers, helping them scale their own operations.

The new tractor that But God Ministries was able to purchase to scale their operations and grow more produce for members of the community.

There are very few grocery stores in the Delta, and getting to them isn’t easy. To solve this issue, Tri-Delta Agricultural Cooperative, with funding from GROW, transformed an old trailer into a fully functioning Mobile Market, complete with a cooling system that keeps local produce fresh from farm to front door. Now residents in neighboring Jonestown, Friars Point, Coahoma, Lula, and Lyon — who lack easy access to groceries — can buy fresh, local produce.

For Robert Miller, a Community Liaison, the project is deeply personal. After relocating to the Delta, he was shocked by how hard it was to find nutritious food. “One night after Bible study, a group of kids told me they were hungry. I drove around and couldn’t find anywhere to buy groceries. That moment broke my heart.”

Miller says the GROW grant is “an answered prayer.” They had the trailer for a while, but didn’t have the funds to retrofit it. Now he can bring groceries straight to the doors of residents that need them most.

On left: Tri-Delta’s new retrofitted trailer, which was converted into a Mobile Market, where residents can purchase fresh produce grown by local farmers.

On right: Mrs. Eddye Johnson, a local resident, buying fresh produce at Tri-Delta’s new mobile market.

Happy Foods Project is dedicated to cultivating a thriving agricultural ecosystem in Mississippi by promoting locally grown products. With their GROW grant, they purchased a cargo van to pick up fresh produce from local farmers and deliver food prescription boxes to people across the region.

“Before, we had to use open trucks and trailers,” said Robbie Pollard. “Now, we can keep food safe and fresh.”

On right: FoodRx boxes packed with fresh produce sourced and delivered by Happy Foods Project.