WALTHAM—An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but a good serving of vegetables wouldn’t hurt.
That’s why Community Farms Outreach has teamed with the Joseph Smith Community Health Center to provide fresh veggies to low-income women and their families.
Each Wednesday volunteers and employees of the nonprofit farm bring boxes of greens and other vegetables to the center, said Meg Coward, executive director of Community Farms Outreach.
They are then distributed, said Kathleen Phenix, executive director of the health center.
This year marks the second in the partnership between the two Waltham organizations, according to Coward. "It’s very exciting on both sides of the partnership," she said.
Coward said Community Farms Outreach is proud of its partnership with the health center because its employees also help educate women about nutrition and healthy living. "A significant goal of this partnership is to help women appreciate the value of fruit and vegetables," she said.
Phenix said services at the health center, located at 564 Main St., are available to men and women of all ages. They include dental care, mental health services, prenatal care and cancer screening.
The center opened in Waltham in 2004, but has operated in Allston for 32 years, Phenix said.
She said the vegetable partnership with Community Farms Outreach is available only to women because of the funding it receives from the Women’s Health Network. "It is a very nice partnership. They are very committed to working with us," Phenix said. "It’s very successful."
Coward said all the vegetables are grown on about seven acres on Beaver Street. They also grow on three acres at the Lyman Estate.
She said Community Farms Outreach also grows vegetables to aid hunger relief efforts for three other organizations in Waltham—The Red Cross, Salvation Army and Sandra’s Lodge.
"We’re definitely trying to get food out to the local community," Coward said.
She said the farm also donates to the Greater Boston Food Bank and Food For Free, a Cambridge-based organization.
Coward said the organization, which has operated in Waltham for 10 years and has donated more than 175,000 pounds of food, makes money from families of four who pay $500 per growing season and pick up or harvest their vegetables each week. Fees vary depending on the size of the family.
The farm has about 260 members and is always looking for more, Coward said.
For more information visit [url=http://www.communityfarms.org]http://www.communityfarms.org[/url].