Service CU Supports Lil' Free Farmstand to Bring Fresh Produce to Food Insecure Families

PORTSMOUTH, NH [June 16, 2021] – Service Credit Union is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Lil' Free Farmstand, a program of Grow Nashua. The Lil' Free Farmstand initiative was formed to connect community members who may not have access to fresh produce with local gardeners who donate shelf-stable vegetables to the program. Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the summer, starting June 25th, the Lil' Free Farmstand sets up in Nashua neighborhoods in need, bringing the vegetables to food insecure families for free.

“We are so grateful for Service Credit Union’s partnership this year to triple the size of our Lil' Free Farmstand and give us the potential to provide neighborhoods in need with access to fresh food!  It is a beautiful thing when neighborhood children and their families can walk up to the stand, inquire about a new veggie, take it home, give it a try, and come back next week for more!  We couldn't be doing this without Service CU and are grateful to be out in the community three days a week offering this important nutritious program to our Nashua families,” said Justin Monroe, executive director of Grow Nashua.

The mission of Grow Nashua is to  “sow the seeds of hope and community.” Grow Nashua creates urban vegetable farms in schools and in the city of Nashua, NH and also connects farmers with those who may need fresh produce. It is one of 40 nonprofits around the country to launch a mobile app that directs home and community gardeners to donate a portion of their fresh grown produce to support local hunger relief efforts.  The organization’s efforts help provide support to community members facing food insecurity, while also promoting the environmental and health benefits associated with growing and eating local produce.

“Grow Nashua has done an amazing job of using technology to address the issue of food insecurity in our state. As part of our commitment to support the communities we serve, this was a perfect fit and we are very excited about this partnership,” said Wendy Beswick, VP-Marketing at Service Credit Union.

The Lil’ Free Farmstands will be located in three underserved neighborhoods in Nashua.  The stands will provide free fresh vegetables to families three days a week and pair that with their other outreach of cooking classes and urban garden plots throughout the city.  “We could fill Holman Stadium twice over with people that are food insecure in Nashua and fresh fruits and veggies are often the hardest thing to get,” said Monroe.  “Our app allows us to collect a few veggies from a lot of people and together create and abundance to share and that feels good for everyone involved!”

Service Credit Union is dedicated to providing a banking experience that improves our members’ lives, as well as the communities in which they live. We serve members all over the world, including in-person service at 50 branch locations in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Dakota and Germany. For more information, visit https://servicecu.org. Follow us on Twitter at @ServiceCU, Instagram at @ServiceCreditUnion and Facebook at facebook.com/ServiceCreditUnion.