FARM, ORCHARD
& GRUB
grow + give
The South Plains Food Bank’s farm, orchard, and GRUB program help combat food insecurity, promote agriculture, and empower future community leaders by providing fresh produce and hands-on educational opportunities.
Carolyn Lanier Youth Farm
The 5.5 acre Carolyn Lanier Youth Farm was established in 1988 to provide locally grown produce to people receiving food assistance through the Food Bank.
Farm Facts:
- Acreage is 5.5, but only 3.5 acres is actively being farmed. Classroom, office, and storage buildings, as well as cooler space for storing produce take up most of the other two acres.
- SPFB farm is a sustainable farming operation. We strive to make the most efficient use of our nonrenewable resources through soil, water, pest, and disease management.
- The Food Bank farm has four high tunnels, totaling 11,400 sq. ft. of growing space, extending the growing time for high-value crops 8 to 10 weeks. The tunnels were secured through a grant partnership with Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Service.
- The farm staff works with volunteers, students, and many others to improve agricultural and gardening knowledge, helping our community to better understand where their food comes from and how to grow their own!
- The farm grows various vegetable crops that can handle our demanding climate. In addition to food crops, they grow loofah gourds used by youth in the GRUB Program to make a value-added soap product called GRUB Scrub.
Orchard
Funded in 1994 by Rotary District 5730 and under the guidance of noted pomologist, Dr. George Elle, the 15-acre orchard contains over 2,700 dwarf trees with 8 varieties. The first apples were harvested in 1997, with about 25,000 pounds being distributed fresh to the needy. The Southwest Lubbock Rotary Club built a barn at the orchard in 1999. A cooler was installed in 2000. Annually, the orchard produces fresh apples to be distributed to clients of the Food Bank and through other Food Banks in the West Texas region. We rely on help from the community to sustain our orchard. You can support by purchasing a remembrance or honor tree.
The orchard is located off the corner of 56th Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
For more information about the Farm and the Apple Orchard, please contact the Chief Operating Officer at [email protected]
GRUB
Growing Recruits for Urban Business
The Youth Leadership Program at the South Plains Food Bank is designed to teach young adults, ages 14 to 18, life and job skills using our farm and community gardens as a backdrop to this education.
The Food Bank’s 5-acre Carolyn Lanier Youth Farm, located at 76th Street and Avenue B in Lubbock, is the primary work site for the program. Work includes garden planning, soil preparation, maintaining the irrigation system, planting seeds and young plants, nurturing, harvesting, and marketing the produce and GRUB Scrub. The youth produce and market a value-added product, giving them experience in marketing and small business operations.
The Youth Leadership Program also offers employment to youth who have proved to be hard workers and are interested in a deeper connection to our program.
South Plains Food Bank aims to develop the whole person with an educational component that includes topics such as horticulture, nutrition, money management and other life and job skills issues. Many of our classes are taught by experts from the community who volunteer their time. The Youth Leadership staff is committed to nurturing and educating the youth involved in our program. We welcome referrals of teens.
For more information about the GRUB program please contact Sandy Garcia at [email protected]
