Dear Farmhouse Family,

September started out dominated by fear. Fear of the giant storm barreling toward Texas. Fear that our farmers and customers in Houston wouldn’t survive such a hit. And fear that after the slow months of summer, we [Farmhouse Delivery] wouldn’t survive it either. But seeing the devastation, knowing that so many were suffering more than we could ever imagine, we knew we could not sit idle.

Fear quickly turned to inspiration. We looked at our coolers, loaded with produce intended for Houston homes that Harvey had rendered inaccessible, and quickly put into action our mission of growing community through food. Our chef and kitchen staff started cooking, our team rallied, and we delivered over 6000 meals and hundreds of pounds fresh fruit and produce to first responders, National Guardsmen, and shelters from Austin to Port Arthur and beyond.

I spent most of the storm staying in touch with our farmers, trying to gauge the extent of the damage and their needs. We teamed up with Sue Beckwith at Texas Center For Local Food and came up with a plan to mobilize our Farmhouse community to raise funds directly for our farmers. The response blew us away. In just 10 days, we raised $20,000 from the generous efforts of The Produce Box, a local produce delivery service based in North Carolina, over $12,000 from our amazing Farmhouse members and friends, and hundreds of pounds of food from some of our vendors, including Bola Pizza, Rockstar Bagels, Boggy Creek Farm, Mother Culture, and The Soup Peddler. We’re overwhelmed and grateful for the incredible spirit and heart that Farmhouse friends and family have shown.

The road continues to be challenging, literally, as our drivers endure long hours navigating flooded bridges and streets to deliver bushels and Supper Clubs to Houston. Nonetheless, we’re determined to continue bringing fresh, nourishing food from our Texas farmers to the doorstep. As one customer who weathered Harvey told us, “I never thought slicing a carrot would bring so much peace.”

It will be a long recovery, but we know now more than ever, that our community is strong. We are so proud to be Texans.

Yours, Stephanie Scherzer
Founder, Farmhouse Delivery