Dignity in a box “The other thing that’s extremely rewarding is being able to work with the nonprofit side and seeing how these beautiful, fresh products are being received,” Brazeel continued. One description that stood out: “dignif ied box.” That, he said, is what one food bank called the collection of food his team assembled. The fruits and vegetables, he explained, are of a “quality that they’re used to seeing at a major retail outlet” and packed as though they were destined for restaurants or other food-service clients— and the recipients noticed. “I’ve been in the industry for 25 years,” Brazeel said, “and nobody’s ever said that ‘You packed a dignified box of produce.’” Some of SunTerra’s boxes reach people through the Imperial Valley Food Bank, where demand for services rose 45% after shelter-in-place orders took hold in mid- March. Sara Griffen, the food bank’s executive director, called childhood hunger in Imperial County a major concern, and school closures made things worse. “Anything we can do to try to get food to the kids right now is absolutely necessary and essential,” she said. Imperial County is famous for its vegetable growing, but that’s during the winter, Griffen said. “Our folks here don’t see a lot of produce during the summertime, and to be able to give them a beautiful box
National Guard members, above, help assemble food boxes at the Imperial Valley Food Bank. One farmer supplying food banks said a client called his effort, below, a “dignified box.”
Photo by Steve Adler
Photo courtesy of SunTerra Produce
Steve Brazeel, above, of SunTerra Produce, sends lettuce, left, and other fresh produce to food banks through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
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September/October 2020
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