BRIGHTON, Colo. — It's nearing the end of sweet corn season at Petrocco Farms in Brighton. The fields are busy with workers and machines. Dust and corn husks whip around the tractor as it moves steadily down the rows.
"This is some of the last corn of the season, and we like to harvest in the morning when it’s cool," said Joe Petrocco, vice president of Petrocco Farms.
Many of these ears of corn are headed to grocery shelves and restaurants, but some won't make the grade. Those that didn't make the cut would traditionally end up back in the ground.
"It would be chopped, mulched down, and put back into the soil, and would become part of next year's crop at that point," said Petrocco.
Even if an ear is dinged during harvesting, it might not be good enough for your local grocer.
Instead of tilling these ears into the fields, that not-perfect-but-still-plenty-good corn can go to neighbors in need. Petrocco Farms is one of dozens of growers working directly with the Food Bank of the Rockies.
"Most of that corn would be lost and basically wasted. We would rather obviously have it go to a good resource, like the food bank, than have it just tilled back into the soil. We've been around a long time, and they've been around a long time, and when you have two common denominators in common, you're eventually going to get together. So that common denominator is that they need to feed less fortunate people, and we have a place to go with our ugly food," Petrocco said.
When you think about food banks, you might think of canned goods, rice, and non-perishables. But the Food Bank of the Rockies knows that fresh produce is an important part of nutrition and culture.
"A lot of our communities — fresh produce is a really big part of their food cultures," said Colleen Daszkiewicz, purchasing manager for Food Bank of the Rockies. "It's nice to be able to provide ingredients that can make a full meal rather than just a few items here and there that people then have to supplement with other items that they're buying."
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for fresh food has risen. Produce is the top-requested item at the Food Bank of the Rockies. That's why they partner with local growers for a win-win relationship.
"We’re able to take some of their produce that they can’t sell through retail because it’s oversized or undersized or has a small blemish. But it’s still perfectly nutritious, perfectly edible, beautiful produce," said Daszkiewicz. "Knowing that their neighbors are getting their corn, their onions, their potatoes, their Palisade peaches, is a really nice feeling from them."
Last year, the Food Bank of the Rockies distributed over 27 million pounds of fresh produce thanks to growers like Petrocco Farms.
Joe Petrocco said he hopes other growers will join the cause.
"Whatever you do good for the public always, generally, will come back to you in a good way. It's kind of just a human thing," he said.
Community
Join Denver7 for 7 Days to Help End Hunger
Denver7 is taking action on this issue – and we need your help. Join us for 7 Days to Help End Hunger. From Sept. 23-29, this week-long campaign will raise crucial funds to support the Food Bank of the Rockies and the work they do to nourish people facing hunger.
Donate today and your gift will be doubled as Denver7 and the Scripps Howard Fund are matching the first $10,000 donated dollar-for-dollar.
Every dollar contributed will help the Food Bank of the Rockies meet this moment as they are distributing enough food every day for 179,000 meals. But because of rising food costs, they’re spending triple what they have spent in the past on purchasing nutritious items.
Your support is needed. Together, we can make a difference in our community.
With the dollar-for-dollar match from Denver7 Gives, here’s what your support will provide:
- $25 will help the Food Bank of the Rockies distribute enough food for 150 meals
- $50 provides 300 meals
- $100 provides 600 meals
- $250 provides 1,500 meals
- $500 provides 3,000 meals
7 Days to Help End Hunger is sponsored by CommonSpirit.
Click here and select ‘7 Days to Help End Hunger’ to donate today or use the form at the bottom of this article.