Last Thursday was a beautiful day for CWS Staff and organizations in our community to enjoy a delicious brunch and fantastic tour of Radical Roots Farm! Through our partnership with Vine & Fig, CWS Harrisonburg receives fresh vegetables from Radical Roots every week to share with clients and staff. This partnership began when Vine & Fig were identifying places in the community where people had trouble accessing fresh produce, and CWS was able to connect their generous donations to clients in need.  

There are also greater impacts to providing free fresh produce. Our Health Liaison Madison Reese discussed these valuable impacts. She said, “food is one way that clients can stay deeply connected to their culture when they come here. Depending on where they're coming from the culture is different, and the language is different. But with fresh fruits and vegetables, they can still prepare meals that are traditional to where they're coming from.” 

“One time a client told us when we started getting tomatoes, that the tomatoes that were grown reminded them of the tomatoes that they grew in Africa. And that's because they're fresh. It was incredibly special to hear because it was like cooking with the ingredients that they cook with at home.” 

We are very grateful to Vine & Fig and Radical Roots farm for their continued partnership with CWS and the positive impact that their produce has had on our refugee and immigrant community.