Kerber's Farm School joins hands with Helping Hand mission

Kerber’s Farm, a working farm and not-for-profit school in Huntington with a history dating back to 1941, was tapped by Suffolk County in December 2023 to use part of the adjacent county-owned Farm Nature Preserve to harvest vegetables and flowers, maintain pollinator pathways and expand student programs about the history of farming on Long Island. All of the crops grown would be donated to local food pantries. On Friday, the first harvest was handed off to Helping Hand Rescue Mission, a 60-year-old community organization in Huntington Station.

The 20-year agreement between Kerber’s Farm School and Suffolk County includes nonexclusive use and management of 20 acres of Froehlich Farm Nature Preserve, five of which were farmed for this first harvest. Kerber’s owner Nick Voulgaris was giddy when the opportunity came his way. The farm school already offered agricultural educational programs and hands-on experiences, but this would "create even more reach to stress the importance of a sustainable ecosystem, organic farming practices and farm-to-table operations," he said. The partnership with the county doubled down on those initiatives.

The first crop included pumpkins, tomatoes, string beans, potatoes, butternut squash and honey, all of which were grown on the five acres that Voulgaris and farm director Jeff Close cleared, prepped, irrigated, fenced and planted last year. Next year, they hope to increase the planted acreage.

"This is like a living classroom where students can come out, learn about farming, and then take the harvest into the kitchen — a 32-seat classroom in the back of the property that doubles as a cooking studio — and create healthy meals," Voulgaris said. "If you're growing up in a marginalized community, or suffer from food insecurity and don't have access to fresh foods, this is a great way to learn about growing your own food."

Enter Helping Hand, which runs a food pantry that serves "roughly 250 families a week from Tuesday through Friday with both nonperishable and fresh food items," according to Kim Gambino, president of Helping Hand Mission. "Providing not only nonperishable food, but nutritious, fresh food is always challenging," she continued, and their one partnership with a local food rescue fell short of the needs of the larger community. "This additional partnership with Kerber’s is a gift to our community and to our mission, because quality, nutritious food is important and it makes a real difference in people's lives." Serving the elderly, veterans and local families, Gambino described the synergy as "a beautiful and wonderful partnership."

In 2021, the Kerber’s Farm school began offering classes to students using the farm’s vegetable gardens and assorted livestock, including hens, ducks, pigs, goats and more than a dozen beehives. Stephanie Entenman, Kerber’s Farm School’s director, elaborated: "Everything we do here is about teaching our community about food. But to now have actual bounty — we want that to be part of our involvement in this community. It's a connection that makes people feel so cared for. And that connection is so important to us."

This isn’t Kerber’s first foray into community service. They have been working with Huntington’s Temple Beth El for many years, donating each day’s leftover baked goods — Kerber’s makes everything it sells fresh daily, freezing what it doesn’t sell at day’s end — to the temple’s program which distributes the food to churches, other temples, and various nonprofits. Gambino’s Helping Hand often received such bounty from the Beth El program, so the new partnership with Kerber’s Farm School feels like "a full circle moment."

Should you want to get in on the community that Kerber’s is building through it’s farm school, they are in the midst of launching volunteer programs to help harvest and plant crops. Plus, now through Thanksgiving, they are offering free public farm tours in the farm’s wagon, to continue their work educating Huntington and surrounding on the importance of local farming and sustainability.

Kerber’s Farm School, 306 W. Pulaski Rd., Huntington, 631-424-2058; kerbersfarmschool.org

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.