Runner Bean Ranch honored for work with food banks

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Jul 20, 20170

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Runner Bean Ranch

Beverly and Guy Spencer relax and celebrate on July 4 after bringing in the hay at Runner Bean Ranch. They will receive the Fresh Results Award from the Washington Food Coalition.

A Palouse farm run by a mother and son will receive the Fresh Results Award from the Washington Food Coalition in recognition of their work in providing fresh produce to people in need.

“Guy and Beverly (Spencer) have clearly given so much of themselves personally in this endeavor, volunteering at the Colfax Pantry on top of all that they do to make sure that produce from their farm reaches families who could not otherwise afford such farm fresh items,” stated Yvonne Pitof, Washington Food Coalition executive director.

The Spencers own Runner Bean Ranch just outside Palouse city limits. They were nominated for the Fresh Results Award by Paige Collins, executive director of Council on Aging and Human Services in Colfax, and Northwest Harvest.

“The Fresh Results Award is about celebrating innovations in getting fresh, wholesome food to people in need,” Pitof said.

Collins noted the Spencers not only had donated produce to their local food bank at Palouse Pantry, but also sold their produce to the food bank for distribution at 10 county pantries and volunteered at the Colfax Pantry in their spare time. They have been involved in the Whitman County Food Coalition since the first meeting. Runner Bean Ranch was one of the pilot growers last year for the COA’s new farm-to-food bank initiative.

“It’s really pretty humbling,” said Guy Spencer of winning the award.

The Spencers decided to change from selling their produce at farmers’ markets to selling wholesale to the food banks to provide fresh food for people in need.

“Fresh produce shouldn’t be a luxury,” he said. “It was a perfect opportunity for us.”

Guy noted they own their farm, so that made it easier to make the switch. He added that providing produce to seniors through the senior meals is also rewarding.

The Spencers will receive the award Sept. 14 at the WFC annual conference in Tacoma. Along with a plaque, they will receive $500.

The Fresh Results Award has been presented for four years. The award is the result of a collaboration between the WFC and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. It honors a farmer who has gone above and beyond in partnering with programs to help make sure that low-income people in the community receive fresh food. This year there were eight nominees for farmers all over the state; Runner Bean Ranch was the only one to be nominated by two entities.

Guy said he hopes to find other farmers and producers willing to sell some of their produce to the food banks. Getting fresh produce into the schools would be their crowning achievement.

He also commended the people who work in and with the food pantries.

“These people put a lot of effort into just keeping the food pantries open,” he said.