UPDATED: May 3, 2019 at 2:37 p.m.

Rick and Jeff Rarick used to rely in part on local food pantries for their food. When they went, they realized virtually all of the fruits and vegetables on the shelves were canned or dried. The brothers asked different pantry staff whether or not they ever got fresh produce. The response: if they did, it was the food that grocery stores were about to throw away. 

More than a decade later, the brothers, their mother Elizabeth Esmark, a board of trustees and thousands of volunteers are managing a nonprofit farm, Matthew 25, that donates 100% of its crops to charities, shelters and soup kitchens across five counties in New York. The Rarick family had no prior experience growing fruits and vegetables — just a desire to help struggling individuals and families in the same position that Rick and Jeff were once in. 

“We had nothing, just a vision,” Esmark said. “We had no money, no equipment, no nothing.”  

The farm has expanded to two locations, totaling more than 50 acres of available farmland. Since Matthew 25 got its start, its founders have worked to contribute to the local food scape by providing free, fresh produce to central New Yorkers and helping educate those interested in growing their own crops.  

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The farm relies on volunteers to come pick fruits and vegetables. Those who come to help harvest are encouraged to take some home or donate to those in need. 

When people come to the farm, they can access the produce with no questions asked. Despite Matthew 25’s name coming from the Bible, no financial need or religious affiliation must be demonstrated for those interested. Rick said they welcome everyone to the farm. Rick, Jeff, Esmark and Gary Gates, who’s president of the board of trustees, were all raised on the same principle: when your neighbor is in trouble, you help them out.  

“We’re aiming our sights at the people who can’t make it to the farmers market, who can’t afford to go to Wegmans when they’re in need,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who are stuck going to the dollar store and buying macaroni and cheese because that’s what they can afford, so we’re trying to focus our energies on those people to try and bring them back up.” 

The Rarick brothers, Esmark and Gates have tried their hand at growing more than a dozen fruits and vegetables over the years. Last year, they were still harvesting tomatoes in November, well past the typical summer harvest season. In 2017, Matthew 25 grew 50,000 pounds of fresh produce.  

The Tully location has two hoop houses on it, which are designed to trap heat from the sun and provide a stable growing environment for the plants inside. Despite more than 500 plants growing between the hoop houses, there isn’t a chemical or pesticide bottle in sight. Any sprays used on the plants are organic, Rick said. This is purposeful, so that volunteers can eat the crops they’re picking right out of the field. 

Matthew 25 also gives away seed packets as well as tens of thousands of plants that get donated from local greenhouses that have extras, Rick said. The farm plants what it can and donates the rest to farms and individuals. Now, the farm is giving away plots of its own land for people without access to farmland to use to grow their own food, saving money and becoming self-sustainable, he added. 

Belushi, Rick Rarick’s pet husky, helps greet people when they come to the Matthew 25 Farm. Colleen Ferguson | Senior Staff Writer

“At first we were just donating food to people and then we realized we need to help teach these people as well,” Rick said. 

There’s still work to be done, Gates said. At Matthew 25, the staff doesn’t have time and resources to deliver produce. They also haven’t yet found a way to effectively preserve the crops and keep them available during the winter. 

While Rick, Jeff, Gates and Esmark all grew up with varying amounts of farming experience, they all agreed there was a learning curve involved since none of them had farmed to this extent before. 

Still, the people they feed have recognized their efforts. Esmark recalled getting a letter and a monetary donation from a pantry in Cortland, where the staff had put out a can and asked visitors for donations in any amount to go to Matthew 25 as a token of appreciation. Together, patrons raised around $100, most of it in change — pennies, dimes and quarters. 

“We’ve heard story after story from food pantries. Sometimes we’re the only fresh produce they’re getting,” Esmark said. “The people (in Cortland) all were saying ‘oh, please don’t let that farm stop, I mean, this is so important to us.’” 

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the amount of plants given away by Matthew 25 was misstated. Matthew 25 gives away tens of thousands of planted donated by local greenhouses. Also, Rick Rarick’s dog’s name was misspelled. The dog’s name is Belushi. The Daily Orange regrets these errors.

Published on April 29, 2019 at 10:16 pm

Contact Colleen: cefergus@syr.edu | @ColleenEFergus2