Noblesville-based Teter Organic Farm received a $52,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Health. The grant will be used to meet food insecurity as part of the state’s Health Issues and Challenges program, which was created by the Indiana General Assembly in 2021 with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Teter Organic Farm, 10980 E. 221st St., is a non-profit organization that grows produce for the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank, area food pantries, meal programs, and residents in need to improve food safety. The grant provides on-farm funds to construct two additional elevated tunnels to extend the growing season and increase production. In 2019, Feeding America reported that Hamilton County had more than 27,000 food-insecure residents, a number that has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People eat all year round and the health benefits of fresh produce, as well as the consequences of poor nutrition, reverberate throughout life,” said farm manager Katy Rogers. “There is a huge need. These tunnels allow us to produce more, for longer.
Teter Organic Farm is one of more than 150 entities to receive funding for the Health Issues and Challenges program, which focuses on the following priority areas: tobacco use; food insecurity/obesity; exposure to lead; hepatitis C, chronic disease; public health prevention programs; and substance use disorders and community health workers. Priority was given to applicants who demonstrated high need and high impact in their grant proposals.
The state awarded more than $35 million statewide in the first round of funding.
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