Central City Urban Farm Makes Fresh Donations to Charity
January 3, 2022
In a holiday season filled with generosity, local businesses and farm operations gave the freshest gift of all. Sweet Grown Alabama member Central City Urban Farm donated 12 pounds of fresh lettuces to people in need, a direct match for every package of product sold through Market Wagon, an online farmers market.
“The holidays are a time of giving,” said Mitch Hungerpiller, owner of Central City Urban Farm. “There’s no better time to give a fresh and healthy meal to people who need it most.”
Central City Urban Farm grows nine varieties of lettuces hydroponically in a warehouse in downtown Birmingham. They donated a 5-ounce clamshell of lettuce for every 5-ounce clamshell of lettuce purchased online December 8 – 19, 2021.
Two additional farms partnered with Market Wagon to match online sales with donations to charitable organizations. The donations were given to a trio of area charities:
Community Food Bank of Central Alabama – The Food Bank supplies millions of meals a year to food pantries, shelters and other programs across 12 counties.
Firehouse Ministries – Firehouse offers help including meals, clothes and literacy skills to thousands of the neediest adults and children in Birmingham.
Jimmie Hale Mission – The Mission transforms men and women affected by homelessness, poverty and addiction into people who lead health, self-sufficient and productive lives.
Market Wagon delivers local food to a 10-county region including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa counties. The service allows customers to browse locally grown products on their computer or smartphone throughout the week and place an order from multiple local vendors with one single checkout. Customers can get everything they would expect to find at a physical farmers market hand-delivered to their front door—farm-fresh eggs, cheese, meat, produce and more.
Market Wagon enables farmers like Hungerpiller to introduce their products to new customers without having to pay for costly shipping or delivery. More than two dozen local vendors use the platform to offer hundreds of products each week.
Other Sweet Grown Alabama members selling through Market Wagon include Blue Rooster Farms, Just Good Flavor Company and Marble Creek Farmstead.