​Local food nonprofits have huge impact in our region

By Rick Gion

rickgion@gmail.com

The vibrant restaurant scene here in Fargo-Moorhead tends to garner much of the social media attention. Although the food buzz is usually about the hottest new restaurant or tasty product, there are also many food-related nonprofits that deserve recognition. This column aims to highlight and describe five of those organizations.

Farm in the Dell

The first one I’ll discuss is Farm in the Dell of the Red River Valley. This nonprofit operates and manages a huge garden north of Moorhead. Farm in the Dell employs many people with disabilities and pays them through community supported agriculture — CSA for short. This is where an individual or family pays for and receives a regularly scheduled box of fresh vegetables. Farm in the Dell also sells fresh goods to some local restaurants. Farm in the Dell’s slogan is "transforming disabilities into abilities." The organization’s special garden engineers ensure a successful growing season every year.

Farm in the Dell just opened an onsite market from 4 to 6 p.m. every Thursday through the end of the garden season, which offers fresh vegetables and flowers. There will also be a featured pumpkin patch to frolic through this fall. Farm in the Dell also hosts scheduled "Table to Farm" dinner events. Look for more information at farminthedellrrv.org.

F-M International Potluck

One of my favorite local food-related nonprofits is F-M International Potluck. This organization’s slogan is “connecting people through food and storytelling since 2016.” The overall concept of F-M International Potluck is that food can bridge cultural differences in a meaningful and thoughtful manner.

The events F-M International Potluck organizes attract a colorful and diverse audience. The spaces these events are held at usually reflect that same theme. Attendees can bring a dish to share, but a generous sponsor usually helps to purchase large portions of tasty cuisine from a local ethnic restaurant. Sometimes the food is African inspired, sometimes it is East Asian and sometimes it is Middle Eastern. All I know is that it’s delicious every time. The dialogue and music at these events can be as interesting as the food. The diversity and talent make for good all-around flavor. It’s a good environment in which to make some new friends too.

This nonprofit has a strong focus on supporting the ethnic and New American populations here in Fargo-Moorhead. More information about F-M International Potluck is available online at fminternationalpotluck.com.

Great Plains Food Bank

One of the most important food-related nonprofit organizations in the upper Midwest is the Great Plains Food Bank. It serves all of North Dakota and a part of western Minnesota. The Great Plains Food Bank delivers food to dozens of food pantries around the region. It also offers a mobile food pantry and a new Kitchen Coalition, which puts together full meals for those in need.

The Great Plains Food Bank has nearly 200 partners around the region, including pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. That number is astounding. The organization’s mobile food pantries serve dozens of communities. It's an incredible operation with enormous impact. Find out more about the Great Plains Food Bank by visiting greatplainsfoodbank.org.

Growing Together Community Gardens

Another important food-related nonprofit is Growing Together Community Gardens. It’s a robust network of shared community gardens, which serve diverse needs. Gardeners and volunteers with this organization grow tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce every season. It’s a serious operation that boasts cultivation and management of nine large gardens in Fargo. Much of this produce goes to people in need. The goal of this organization is to address food insecurities and to boost the consumption of fresh produce. The organization also places special emphasis on partnering with the New American community here.

If you’re looking for fresh produce grown by members of this organization, be sure to check out the Growing Together Farmers Market. Tents are set up just south of Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral from 1 to 5 p.m. every Tuesday. The address is 3600 25th Street South in Fargo. You’ll find a large variety of high quality fresh produce there — carrots, corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and much more.

More information about Growing Together Community Gardens can be found at growingtogetherfm.org.

Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe

Last, but not least, is Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe. This mobile food trailer offers affordable and delicious hot meals. You’ll definitely see Heart-n-Soul’s mobile food trailer out and about in the community, mostly at area churches and locations where affordable hot meals are in demand.

If someone is hungry and can't afford to pay full price, they can receive a free or discounted meal. It's basically “pay what you can afford.” A patron can also pay a meal forward if they’d like to pass along a free meal to the next diner.

Heart-n-Soul often features local chefs, so the food is always of very high quality. You’ll see Chef Joe Swegarden from Blackbird Woodfire frequently putting together meals for diners. His cuisine is always on point. Under Chef Joe’s direction, Heart-n-Soul also partners with Farm in the Dell for the unique Table to Farm events mentioned above.

I often get meals from Heart-n-Soul and highly recommend checking out the offerings. The main course can range from spicy ethnic dishes to sloppy joes. Be sure to chat with Joe and Leola. They are some of the friendliest people in the food truck business here. Learn more about Heart-n-Soul by visiting heartnsoulcafe.com or by tracking the mobile food trailer locations on Facebook.

Additionally, be sure to check out all these organizations when making your donation next Giving Hearts Day. Give with impact and double your donation. You’ll help to ensure that our communities stay healthy.

Although the robust restaurant scene here gets most of the attention, some of the nonprofits also deserve the spotlight. There are many more food-related nonprofits doing good work in our area too. The five highlighted above are just a small good bunch of them.

Rick Gion administers a Facebook food group called “Fargo-Moorhead Eats” that’s dedicated to the area’s great cooks and cuisine. The page now has over 40,000 followers. Check it out, join, and feel free to post items about your local culinary adventures and home cooking. And, while you’re at it, also join the Instagram and TikTok pages. Rick is also a featured guest on Prairie Public Radio’s “Main Street.” His weekly segment about food called “Prairie Plates” airs between 3 and 4 p.m. every Wednesday.