MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The Gospel Rescue Mission is using a Fresh Start hydroponics farm to feed local families.
Five weeks ago, the Gospel Rescue Mission started planting lettuce, and Thursday afternoon, they celebrated the first harvest from the farm.
“It’s hard to get enough fresh food to feed those who are in poverty,” said Rich Schaus, the Executive Director of the Gospel Rescue Mission.
Schaus says the farm is a step in fighting food insecurity in the area. The shipping container can produce two and a half acres of crops. They’ll harvest 800 heads of lettuce, spinach, kale, or whatever other vegetables they want to grow, every week.
Dozens of people came to celebrate the first harvest Thursday.
Schaus says GRM’s mission is to help men and women facing homelessness and addiction. He says he wants to give their clients every tool to succeed and that includes fresh produce.
“The problem was they were going to be sick five, ten, 15 years down the road because we weren’t giving them anything healthy,” he said.
The community will also be able to buy the produce through subscription boxes. It’ll ease some of the burdens of high prices at the grocery store.
“It means they’re going to have healthy food every single day,” Schaus said.
For every box, they’ll provide a matching subscription box to someone in need for free. They’re about two weeks out from a full harvest.
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