W hen Woody was ready to retire, Buzz— and the Kentucky State University Small-Scale Farm Grant program— came to the rescue.
“Woody” was the large, 20-year-old freezer at Warm Blessings Soup Kitchen in Elizabethtown, Kentucky; it earned its nickname because of the homemade wooden latch that had long ago been added to keep the freezer door closed.
Farm Grant Program. Nelson and Crawford agreed that Warm Blessings could apply for a grant under the food security emphasis category, since Warm Blessings works closely with Feeding America and prepares produce donated by private individuals, including small farmers.
Crawford shared the online application with Cash and helped her meet the June 1, 2020, deadline, after which Warm Blessings was awarded $5,000.
In May 2020, Phoebe— Woody’s fellow freezer at Warm Blessings, with no relation to the Toy Story franchise— gave out completely. Kentucky State Community Outreach Coordinator Mason Crawford came across a Facebook post from Warm Blessings that asked for a donated freezer. Though Woody was still in operation, the soup kitchen desperately needed more space for large amounts of frozen food from Feeding America.
Warm Blessings typically serves 1,500 meals a month and has never shut its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, when many Kentucky families were struggling from loss of income, Warm Blessings served more than 6,000 meals in a month.
Upon reading the request for a new freezer, Crawford immediately knew who could help. By the time he reached out to Warm Blessings Executive Director Dawn Cash, donations had helped fill the immediate need. However, Crawford learned that Woody was also struggling—its namesake, the Toy Story character, showed his age through stitches, but the freezer had dents, dings and constant breakdowns.
Crawford shared what he had learned about Warm Blessings with Joni Nelson, who manages the Small-Scale Farm Grant Program. Nelson and Crawford agreed that Warm Blessings could apply for a grant under the food security emphasis category, since Warm Blessings works closely with Feeding America and prepares produce donated by private individuals, including small farmers.
A month later, a new freezer had been installed and was working wonderfully, with the nickname Buzz because of its shiny new appearance and abundance of buttons and gadgets.
Hopefully Buzz can help Warm Blessings serve its community “to infinity and beyond.”
For more information about the Small-Scale Farm Grant Program, contact Joni Nelson at joni.nelson@kysu.edu.
16