BOULDER, Colo. — Though the real estate market has been thriving during COVID-19, food security hit its lowest rate in 20 years during 2020, with over half a million Coloradoans expected to experience food insecurity this year. Real estate agents Catherine and Andy Burgess of Burgess Group | Compass recently launched The Food Security Project, using their listing of the historic 80-acre Mckenzie Farm to grow thousands of pounds of produce for Boulder and Broomfield counties in Colorado.
“Though people view Boulder and Broomfield counties as affluent, the reality is that more than 46,000 residents don’t have enough to eat, and 12% of those people are children,” said Catherine.
Burgess Group | Compass has provided a substantial donation to non-profit Community Food Share food bank to support hiring a farmer, Katie Ketchum, to work McKenzie Farm. Community Food Share is also contributing financially to this project, as well as managing the farmer and distributing produce. Boulder-based public benefit corporation Boundless Landscapes, which advises on, builds and plants micro-farms, is sharing their valuable farm tools, while non-profit Earth’s Table is mentoring farmer Katie.
The Food Security Project’s growing calendar includes snow and snap peas, collards, kale, cauliflower and broccoli, bush beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatillos and garlic. Produce will be harvested and distributed to those facing food insecurity from April through October.
Historic McKenzie Farm, located 2.5 miles from downtown Boulder, was founded in 1893 and is still owned today by one of Boulder’s founding families, the McKenzies. The farm has extraordinary senior water rights, natural wildlife habitat, 4,500 feet of lazy Four Mile Canyon Creek, views from Longs Peak to the Flatirons, a farmhouse, barn, greenhouse, produce cooling building, chicken coop, and more. The Food Security Project will utilize the barn, the produce cooling building, the greenhouse, water and land. The McKenzies are happy to have their farm help create food security this growing season.
Burgess Group | Compass is also encouraging people everywhere to do what they can to create food security by growing valuable fruits and veggies in their own pandemic victory gardens, whether it be a container garden, gardening a small strip of land, or a full micro-farm, then donate the surplus produce to their local community food bank or, if located near Boulder County, to Community Food Share. Boundless Landscapes will be offering vacation harvesting and handling donations for folks who will be away for portions of the summer, but don’t want their food to go to waste.
Folks can also donate money to their local food bank, and/or volunteer for organizations like Community Food Share and Earth’s Table, an organization that works to eliminate hunger by maintaining seven garden sites. Nationally, people can help in their own community by finding a local food bank here.
“If everyone contributes what they can, we could make a huge difference in the fight to eliminate local and national pandemic hunger,” said Catherine.
— ROOT Marketing & PR
For more news from Colorado, click here.
