Spring has sprung at Emergency Food Network's Mother Earth Farm, and it's time to prepare the soil for planting GÇô including a demonstration of how it was done in the old days. The farm, which grows produce for the network that supports food banks in Eatonville, Graham and the rest of Pierce County, will be the scene of the annual Draft Horse Plow event on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Horse teams and antique tractors will be at work, weather permitting. Draft horses can't plow the fields in muddy conditions. The farm, located at 15208 102nd St. E. in Puyallup, is expected to once again yield 100,000 pounds of organic fruit and vegetables for county residents in need. Emergency Food Network operates the eight-acre farm under the management of Anika Moran. More than 40 varieties of vegetables are planted annually to go along with fruit trees. Produce is given fresh to food programs around Pierce County, often on the same day that it's harvested. Bees are kept on site to pollinate, and their honey is collected for distribution, as well. An average of 118,000 children, seniors and other adults visit feeding programs countywide each month for help. In 2015, Emergency Food Network provided 16 million pounds of food to 70 food banks, meal sites and shelters. Among the food banks are the Graham-South Hill FISH site at 10425 187th St. E., the one operated by Eatonville Family Agency at 305 Center St. W. (Eatonville Community Center) and Living Word's Joseph's Storehouse at 570 Eatonville Hwy. W. Emergency Food Network (EFN) officials say the group depends heavily on volunteers. One of them, a Bethel School District student, was chosen in March as an EFN Volunteer of the Month. Sabrina Do, who attends Spanaway Lake High School, was honored for donating more than 40 hours last summer at Mother Earth Farm and joining other students in February to help sort and pack 12,155 pounds of oranges for distribution. Additional information about Emergency Food Network, Mother Earth Farm and food banks is available at efoodnet.org.
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