Mobilizing Gardeners
For a Harvest of Hope
Cultivate Abundance is a faith-based organization addressing food insecurity and other livelihood challenges in low income, migrant farmworker communities of Southwest Florida and beyond.
COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 cases are exploding in the southwest Florida farmworker community of Immokalee, Florida; population approximately 25,000. As of early August, there were over 2,000 known cases.
For those who harvest our food and are deemed essential workers, staying home and isolating is usually not an option.
In response to the increased needs due to the spread of COVID-19, Cultivate Abundance has distributed container garden sets among households in the Immokalee community. Each container garden set consists of two modified dishpans planted in lettuce or cilantro as well as one five-gallon bucket planted in perennial vegetable varieties that can produce leafy greens for years.
Cultivate Abundance also grows, collects, and shares fresh produce for distribution to the farmworker community on Fridays through our partner, Misión Peniel, a ministry of the Peace River Presbytery PC(USA). With the impact of COVID-19 on the local community, we have ramped up our efforts to source fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution. Since March we have sourced over three tons of local, nutritious, culturally-preferred food
We have also been working as part of a skeletal Friday crew for the food distribution that serves 300-400 people each week, and includes Misión Peniel and Cultivate Abundance staff along with a small group of volunteers.
Cultivate Abundance is committed to standing in solidarity with the Immokalee farmworker community.
A snapshot of Cultivate Abundance and Misión Peniel activity since March that highlights the food grown, collected and shared with the Immokalee farmworker community.
By the Numbers
Food Grown and Food Shared Since 2018
21,817 Pounds
61,329 Servings
90 Varieties
Welcome to the Table
A new podcast produced by Don Durham at Healing Springs Acres highlights what people are doing to end hunger.
This episode featuring Pastor Miguel Estrada, founding director of Misión Peniel, the hosting partner of Cultivate Abundance in Immokalee, sheds light on the realities faced by the Immokalee farmworker community and how you can affect change.
In this episode Julia Perkins describes the work of CIW, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, among migrant farm workers in and beyond Immokalee, FL. Their work intersects with nearly every aspect of the systemic forces that contribute to hunger in the communities they serve. Listen for more wisdom about what we can all do more of, more often, to help end hunger.
Addressing the cruel irony of food insecurity among those who harvest our food
Producing, harvesting and sharing home and community garden abundance to overcome food insecurity among low income, migrant farmworker communities.
Working to restore dignity and justice for migrant farmworkers in partnership with reputable and effective social service agencies.
Addressing food insecurity and other livelihood challenges in migrant farmworker source countries by offering technical services with development partners in Central America and the Caribbean.
Wendell Berry