Please note a previous version of this story was published in the June 2025 newsletter. The following has been edited and updated with corrections.
As summer heats up in the Midwest, so does our appetite for fresh produce. Emily Tucker, Midwest Food Hub (MFH) Manager and Sarah Andersen, Sourcing and Demand Planning Manager, understand how to plan for fresh produce demand.
Emily says, "Fresh produce is the highest nutrient-dense food we offer, and it is cost-effective to source and distribute. Second Harvest Heartland (SHH) appreciates the importance of fresh produce and offers it to our agency partners at no cost." Sarah adds, "Because produce comes from the growers' excess, we only pay for the picking, packaging, and freight. If we did not distribute this produce, it most likely would not be harvested at all."
Truckloads of single produce items are received and packaged into smaller quantities by volunteers. SHH trucks filled with a variety of produce along with other items available from our inventory, deliver to agency partners.
Sarah explains, "SHH is committed to always providing four core produce items: apples, onions, potatoes, and carrots, and usually two to four other varieties depending on availability. During summer months, there is higher demand for fresh produce, but the spike is not as dramatic anymore. We see a strong demand for fresh produce year-round." As a member of Feeding America, the SHH and MFH sourcing teams use Meal Connect to offer excess produce and to source from other parts of the country when local produce is not available.
The SHH Partner Services Team coordinates additional produce only deliveries to agency partners who offer outdoor events to distribute the wide variety of local produce available in the summer and fall.
