FIRST FRUITS FARM INC
GROW MORE - GIVE MORE - SERVE MORE
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
First Fruits Farm's hunger-relief efforts are focused on providing fresh, nutritious food for the hungry through volunteer service and community partnerships by collaborating with organizations of all sizes across the Mid-Atlantic region to ensure farm-fresh food is available and accessible to all, regardless of zip code.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
First Fruits Farm Inc.
First Fruits Farm donates 100% of everything we grow to feed hungry people by collaborating with an ever-growing network of 150+ regional distribution partners including food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, churches, schools, and other food providers across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region. More than 27 million of produce has been given to help those struggling with food insecurity in Baltimore and beyond since our inception 25 years ago. None of this is possible without our robust volunteer community who help the Farm harvest and package our food for distribution to our partners.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of food donation partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Growing regional network of partners who distribute healthy food to the communities they serve.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total pounds of donated, farm-fresh food
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Drought conditions impacted total yield in 2023. Food is distributed to an ever-growing network of regional partners which expands every season.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
First Fruits Farm is committed to feeding hungry people and is here to GROW MORE - GIVE MORE - SERVE MORE.
The Farm launched its first five-year strategic plan (2021-2025) with the following goals: 1) increase annual crop production by 50% from 2 million to 3 million pounds; 2) boost the volunteer community by 50% from 10,000 volunteers annually to 15,000; 3) expand our multi-faceted education initiative for students (PreK-12) focused on agriculture, nutrition, sustainability, and service; and 4) secure the resources needed to support this growth directed to fund the Farm's endowment, capital improvements, and operating expenditures.
In 2022, annual goals included grow and distribute 2.6 million pounds of food, complete construction of 4th commercial greenhouse, and begin barn expansion project; engage with at least 15,000 volunteers; and secure $2 million to support expansion investment project.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Based on our strategic plan, the Farm is focused on executing efforts to GROW MORE - GIVE MORE - SERVE MORE. We currently work with an ever-growing network of regional organizations who distribute our food to hungry people in the communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region (primarily in MD, PA, WV, VA, DE, DC). This partner network (80 in 2021, 130 in 2022, and 150+ in 2023) ensures our farm-fresh food reaches the most vulnerable across the region, and by working collaboratively with our partners, more and more people have experienced better access to fresh food right in their own neighborhoods, despite many living in food deserts. At the Farm, 100% of the food grown is donated to our partners - nothing is sold, which has been the practice for 25 years with over 27 million pounds of produce provided to feed our neighbors in need. This is made possible each season by our faithful volunteer community...thousands of people of all ages show up to help harvest and package our food for distribution to our partners. The Farm's volunteer numbers have quickly multiplied since 2020, and our plan goal of 15,000 volunteers was surpassed in 2022 with over 16,000 volunteers and 17,000 on hand in 2023; these extra hands were critical to meet the rising demand from our partners as hunger and the food insecurity crisis continue to affect far too many people and is in fact not receding in the post-COVID reality.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Farm has built a robust distribution partner network over the years to collaboratively work with regional organizations providing them donations of farm-fresh produce and protein to help feed the communities they serve. Additionally, we recently completed a multi-million dollar capital expansion project of our new Distribution Center which is a transformational investment in our operations. This new facility offers nearly twice the square footage and dedicated areas for packaging and processing, a new 8-bay loading dock to accommodate vehicles of all sizes, new storage areas with refrigeration, an expanded repair/maintenance shop, along with additional restrooms and offices. The building also allows us to expand volunteer opportunities and provide shelter for volunteers in case of inclement weather (sessions can still be held without having to cancel much-needed volunteer hours). With this new infrastructure in place and given our limited production window of June-November, the Farm will continue to look for ways to serve as a year-round hub for other food donations from local businesses and farms who would like to contribute to our mission through our distribution network.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The first three years of the plan (2021-2023) were record-breaking for the Farm, and here are some of the highlights: crop production increased from 1.7 million pounds in 2020 to 2.4 million pounds in 2022 (equating to nearly 10 million servings of fresh produce) with production down slightly in 2023 due to an early drought. The Farm's partnership network has experienced tremendous growth by more than 300% since 2020, and we are serving a record number of regional organizations of all sizes. The volunteer community exceeded 17,000 people in 2023 with this number rising year over year, and we increased our revenue by 40% to meet the demand, supporting the Farm's operations, capital projects, and endowment.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FIRST FRUITS FARM INC
Board of directorsas of 02/28/2024
Mr. Richard Bernstein
First Fruits Farm
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: