“We feature many of our local farmers in a variety of ways throughout the year, but we believed this was a unique way to feature the many young, beginning and small producers that we also serve,” says Cape Fear Farm Credit Senior VP of Marketing and Financial Services Janna Bass.
Adds The Produce Box Director of Membership Laurel Bandiero: “Purchases of this box will not only benefit food insecurity affecting the Cape Fear area, but will support The Produce Box’s larger mission to support all the farms we work with and all the crops we’re able to purchase as our membership expands within and throughout the Triangle.”
Each produce box is chock-full of sweet locally grown and sourced products farmers based in counties near the Triangle—from Johnston to Sampson—including pumpkins, pork sausage and yellow squash. Inside you’ll also find an insert that tells a brief story about the local farmers, so you can understand where exactly your food came from. (We love to see it!)
And not only can you feed yourself and your fam with the box, you can also help feed a family in need. With every Young, Beginning and Small Farmer Box purchased, Cape Fear Farm Credit and AgCarolina Farm Credit will match their support by purchasing additional produce boxes to distribute to areas in the east challenged by lack of food.
The boxes will be available for purchase exclusively on Sept. 16 through The Produce Box. The best part? They’ll be hand-delivered straight to your doorstep—so you’ll save yourself a trip to the grocery store to boot (!). Supporting fresh surely does bring out the best.
The first hard-to-recycle pickup service launches in the Triangle.
When it comes to recycling, there’s no question about whether items like paper, cardboard, plastic and the like are recyclable. But when it comes to items like plastic bags, styrofoam, clothes, batteries and lightbulbs, confusion abounds over how you should dispose of them. Enter ReCollective, the Triangle’s first hard-to-recycle pickup service (!).
Launched in July by Bryce Brooks and Kevin Younge, two eco-friendly Triangle residents with a passion of simplifying waste and reducing climate change, ReCollective makes recycling easy, accessible and transparent while taking waste off your hands and creating something new out of it.
To boot, the pickup service is super-convenient—and you don’t even have to leave your house to use it. Collection bag kits containing four labeled canvas bags, a separate plastic bag for styrofoam, and a waterproof bag are dropped off at your home before your scheduled pickup day. Simply leave the bags on your porch and a ReCollective crew member will swing by to collect them on pickup day.
Items that cannot be collected through standard recycling typically have low recycling rates and would normally end up slowly decomposing in landfills—sometimes for years. This contributes to environmental and health problems in our local communities like pollution, harsh gas releases and even contamination of our water supply.
“We are passionate about helping bring awareness to the community about the environmental challenges we face,” says Younge. Adds Brooks, “The Triangle is a special area that is so ready for circular community solutions that are affordable, accessible and have a positive impact for everyone here.”
ReCollective takes materials and passes them on to local businesses and organizations that recycle or reuse them in a creative way—think art pieces or products like deck boards. Reduce, reuse, recycle in action!
Getting rid of those nonrecyclables costs about the same price as a Netflix subscription or getting a couple drinks at a local bar. So why not put your money toward something that’ll help better the environment—and the world?! First pickups begin in September, expect collection bag kits in August. Sign-up here.
Find locally grown/made and affordable products through Food Lion’s Local Goodness program.
You may not think you’re supporting local when you shop at Food Lion, but we’re here to tell you that you’re—fortunately—wrong. Through the grocery store’s Local Goodness program, it sources quality, locally grown and affordable produce from area farmers and vendors in the Raleigh-Durham area to provide the wholesome food we put on our plates daily.
“Our Local Goodness program ties back to Food Lion’s overarching mission to provide customers with fresh and affordable food while giving back to the communities we serve,” says Kristin Wells, produce category manager for vegetables at Food Lion. “We realize how important it is for our customers to buy locally sourced products, and through our Local Goodness program, Food Lion customers can shop Local Goodness-tagged products and know exactly where their food is coming from.”
Food Lion partners with over 40 growers throughout the state, both large and small—from Oxford to Nashville to, of course, Raleigh—including Cottle Farms in Faison, NC, and locally sourced vendors FreshPoint Raleigh and FreshPik Produce in Kenly, NC, just down the road from the City of Oaks.
And not only do these partnerships bring shoppers fresh, affordable produce, they also support local growers who provide jobs in communities close to home, says Wells. Another perk? Since the local produce is grown closer to home, the travel time from farm to store is shorter—translation: the produce is extra fresh and full of flavor since it has a bit more time to ripen before it needs to ship (!).
Beyond produce grown and made in the state, the Local Goodness program also features products like chips, sauces and sausages. Raleigh-based vendors participating in the program include 1 in 6 Snacks and Bone Suckin’ Sauce. If you’re ISO Local Goodness products at your local Food Lion, simply look for the “Heart and Soul of Our Communities” tag in the meat/seafood, deli/bakery, and center store departments—and the “Local Goodness” tag on produce. Meal time never felt so good.
