From Field to Growing Families: How Fairgrown Farm Helps NourishedRx Support Nutrition Insecure, Birthing Individuals in New Jersey

When a New Jersey-based Health plan enlisted NourishedRx to support nutrition-insecure birthing individuals in the state, we immediately looked for local partners who could help deliver fresh, healthy produce and meals. Fairgrown Farm fit the bill.

?The maternal health nutrition program supports Medicaid birthing individuals screened with a nutrition-related risk factor. The program covers prepared meals, produce, and groceries and includes groceries and produce for family members as well.

The Health plan has a strong preference for local suppliers. This aligns with our belief that local food is not only better for participants but helps foster community and economic growth. Fairgrown Farm has been following that philosophy since its founding six years ago.

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Brothers with a Mission

?Though he’d always liked gardening, James Klett grew up in the suburbs and had no idea he would one day fall in love with farming. A summer job working on a farm ignited his passion and led him to study agriculture, nutrition, and business at Rutgers University. After graduating, he joined forces with his brother to see if they could turn their desire to grow fresh, healthy produce into a viable business.?

?Starting with a small farm in Hopewell Township in Mercer County, James and his brother quickly found a niche with a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm Share Program that offers residents in a 15-mile radius the opportunity to purchase a variety of fresh vegetables year-round. CSA packages include 7 to 13 different crops plus eggs and herbs.?

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Working with NourishedRx?

?“Now we’ve started working to extend that same sort of retail program with the same healthy produce to food insecure folks,” James notes. Specifically, with NourishedRx , Fairgrown Farm is helping nourish birthing individuals enrolled in a maternal health nutrition program.

?“We’re able to leverage our delivery infrastructure to drop off shares of the day directly to their house.”

?While those boxes are customized for program participants, the quality of the produce is exactly the same. Deliveries take place on a set schedule, making it easier for Fairgrown Farm to manage efficiently.?

?“And unlike a food bank, we’re not giving people food in bulk. It’s a manageable amount of produce with balanced variety that’s in season and comes with a weekly note that lists the produce and offers information and recipes. So part of the program is educating people about local food and how to prepare it which really turns them on to a different way of eating.”?

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Dreaming Big for New Jersey

?In a few short years, Fairgrown Farm has built out its offerings to local food banks and soup kitchens, offering healthy produce at discounted prices. The market is growing because the need is so great.?

Fairgrown Farm continues to explore ways to expand their offerings of healthy produce cost effectively. “In addition to growing our own produce,” James says, “we also aggregate and distribute produce from 37 partner farms across the state. So we’re bringing together a lot of produce from different small-scale local growers in New Jersey which allows us to scale faster.”?

?James sees funding as one of the most challenging barriers to meeting the widespread need. That’s what makes it so exciting for him to be partnering with NourishedRx in the maternal health nutrition program. “The impact has already been fantastic. So we’re eager to see where this kind of program can go. It could be a game changer for so many people.”

?James is committed to finding solutions. He’s thrown himself into food stakeholder meetings, including through the Department of Agriculture, to help bridge the gap between local agriculture and food-insecure populations. “I’ve talked to 30 to 40 food security organizations in the past three months just to understand their needs and see if we can create a product offering to help solve those problems.”

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Changing Lives for the Long Term

?Working with food insecure people has been a morale booster for employees at Fairgrown Farm and also makes retail CSA customers feel even better about the produce they buy since their purchases help support the local community.?

?Everyone understands the health value of fresh produce. “It’s pure medicine,” James says.” The benefits are not necessarily as immediately visible as a drug or clinical treatment, but the health impact can be even more significant. “We know that through programs like we’re doing with NourishedRx , we’re also providing experience and behavior change that lasts a lot longer.”

?James is excited about the future. “My biggest hope is that insurance companies and the government really see the benefits of these programs. We’re not just delivering healthy food. We’re changing people’s relationship with food in a way that will make them healthier ten or fifteen years from now.”

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