Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper - News and Features

News & Features

Farm stand brings the best in produce to Sto-Rox residents
archived from: 2002-09-06
by: Patricia Bartos

Focus on Renewal’s Sto-Rox Farm Stand, which brings
fresh fruit and produce to residents of McKees Rocks
and Stowe Township for purchase each week, is
thriving in the middle of its second season.

Volunteers staff the stand, which draws some 130
weekly customers from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on
Thursdays from June through November at the
entrance to the McKees Rocks Plaza.

“We have quite a few seniors waiting before the truck
gets there,” said Sister Barbara Czyrnik, associate
director of FOR and coordinator for the farm stand. “It’s
a wonderful community service to the people.”

“Our main goal is to provide fresh, nutritious produce,”
she said.

The Focus on Renewal Neighborhood Corp. works with
the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank in Duquesne to
provide locally grown foods through the program.

The food bank operates eight such farm stands located
in low-income communities throughout the Pittsburgh
area, working with area farmers and co-ops such as
Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance and Plow to provide
locally grown fruits and vegetables to area residents.

The food bank purchases the foods in bulk and
distributes them to the farm stands, each of which must
have a local sponsor.

The stands accept Senior Farmers Market vouchers
and certificates from young mothers in the WIC
program.

“One of the benefits is that people can spend money in
their own community rather than go out to other
shopping areas,” Sister Barbara said. “It also provides
support for local farmers.”

Many of the residents lack transportation to get to other
areas. “A lot of people can’t get out,” she said. “Having it
right in the community is a real benefit.”

The agency has long been interested in providing fresh,
nutritious fruits and vegetables to members of the
community, she said.

For 10 years, volunteers made two trips a week to Strip
District merchants to purchase fresh produce. The FOR
delivery truck then made its rounds through Sto-Rox
neighborhoods to deliver the goods.

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
approached FOR last year to sponsor one of its farm
stands in the McKees Rocks area, Sister Barbara said.

Adjacent merchants are supportive of the McKees
Rocks effort, she said. “People are very glad we’re
here.”

FOR is seeking a permanent location for the site. “Our
goal is eventually to create a large farmer’s market, to
entice farmers to come to our community and set up,”
she said.

E-mail this story