Author: Janis Garcia, General Manager, Dailey Harvest Express

Daily Harvest Express works to make it easier for people to access locally grown food, help sustain local farms and increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in our communities.

Keeping farming local secures our future food sources, promotes food safety and is better for the environment. Daily Harvest Express works with 13 different family farms located in San Diego County that are growing hydroponic veggies, organic row crops, avocado and citrus. They also source locally made food from 14 local food artisans that make a variety of foods, from fresh baked breads to ginger beer.

In the fall of 2017, Daily Harvest Express launched a Know Your Farmer series, where they interviewed farmers and learned a lot about these wonderful people who are working hard to bring us the best food possible. One new story will be published each quarter with links to farmer stories, including Dassi Family Farm, Rancho Del Sol, Sundial Farm, as well as great stories about local food artisans, like Bread & Cie.

Additionally, the Daily Harvest Express mobile farm stand allows companies to provide healthy produce for their employees, either as a one-time event or on a regular basis. It’s a health event on wheels. Watch a video of the mobile farm stand in action. Since the beginning of 2018, 7,382 employees have purchased 29,116 lbs. of locally grown produce right at their workplace!

Daily Harvest also works with organizations to make sure that vulnerable populations also have access to nutritious foods. Pastor Scott of Preach the Word Ministries picks up leftover produce from the farm truck every Tuesday and distributes it to pre-schools, senior centers and homeless shelters throughout North County. Since January 1^st, DHE has donated 4,117 lbs of fresh produce (the equivalent of 3,431 meals).

Daily Harvest Express also donated produce to the June 20^th World Refugee Day, which was sponsored by the San Diego Refugee Forum and hosted by the Copley-Price Family YMCA. This event boosted awareness of the plight of millions of people displaced from their homes abroad by war, violence or persecution.