The St. Luke’s Rodale Institute Organic Farm has added variety and forged partnerships over the past year that will increase its impact on the health and wellness of the Lehigh Valley community, according to Ed Nawrocki, President, St. Luke’s Anderson Campus.

The farm, a collaborative initiative of St. Luke’s University Health Network and Rodale Institute in its third season at the Anderson Campus, Rt. 33 and Freemansburg Avenue, Bethlehem Township, provides organic produce to patients, staff and visitors.

In 2016, to supply the growing network of employees, patients and community members the farm serves, the Rodale team increased the number of varieties of produce it plants to 100, up from 30 varieties last year. New fruits and vegetables include melons, corn, brussels sprouts, ground cherries, kohlrabi, leeks and okra. The farm has also doubled its footprint and now spans 11.5 acres.

‘Mobile Market’

This year, the St. Luke’s Rodale Institute Organic Farm partnered with the Kellyn Foundation and its mobile healthy grocery market known as the “Eat Real Food Mobile Market.” Kellyn purchased a truck, trailer and an industrial-size cooler that will be stocked with produce from the organic farm and other local farms, as well as some grocery staples, such as eggs, beans, brown rice, and whole grain bread and pasta. The “Eat Real Food” Mobile Market travels to low-income areas in Northampton County where people don’t have reliable access to fresh produce.

There have been numerous studies proving that diets rich in fruits and vegetables, especially organically and-or locally-grown, offer many advantages over the traditional American diet, including increased amounts of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, according to Bonnie Coyle, MD, MS, Director of Community Health, St. Luke’s University Health Network.

“From a health perspective, this translates into a reduced incidence of heart disease and some cancers and a lowered risk of common conditions such as cancer, heart disease, allergies and hyperactivity in children,” Dr. Coyle said. “That’s why we feel it is so important to find a way to get our produce into the hands of these underprivileged communities.”

‘Farmer Lynn’

As part of the original partnership, Rodale Institute provides St. Luke’s with a farmer to run the operation following organic farming practices. Lynn Trinza, aka “Farmer Lynn,” has been working the farm since its inception.

This year, Trinza added two work study students to her roster of farm hands, thanks to a new partnership between St. Luke’s University Health Network and the Children’s Home of Easton (CHE). These “farmers-in-training” are compensated at the end of the summer for their work.

“I am really excited that we will be involving these young people in what we do,” Trinza said. “Exposing the next generation to organic farming practices and the many benefits of eating organic fruits and vegetables is one more way that St. Luke’s and the Rodale Institute are ‘planting a seed’ in sustainable and local food production and the best way to ensure that our farm continues to flourish well into the future.”

Todd Nemura, Wellness Program Manager from the Children’s Home of Easton, is thankful for the work that the organic farm is doing to bring healthier eating into the community and for the opportunity being given to the CHE students this summer. “Hopefully, this is a partnership that will continue to grow as the farm continues to grow and more of our students will be able to work on the farm year after year,” he said.

Farm to cafeterias

St. Luke’s University Health Network is believed to be one of the few hospitals in the nation to offer patients organic produce grown at an organic farm on-site at a hospital campus.

Fresh organic produce is distributed every week in season to all six St. Luke’s hospital cafeterias. The patient menu in all hospitals has been re-designed to incorporate fresh, organic produce from the farm and to increase awareness for patients choosing menu options. By providing patients and employees with local grown organic produce, St. Luke’s is showing a commitment to the environment and promoting the health of its patients and the community.

St. Luke’s University Health Network and Rodale Institute were the recipients of an “Excellence in Sustainability” Award presented at the 2015 Da Vinci Science Center Hall of Fame Gala. The award recognizes organizations that are advancing sustainable business practices and lifestyles through eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey.

In addition, St. Luke’s Anderson Campus received the “Save Our Planet Award” from the Pocono Chamber of Commerce for its commitment to protecting or improving Monroe County’s environment.

St. Luke’s University Health Network is a non-profit, regional, nationally-recognized network providing services at six hospitals and more than 200 sites, primarily in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania and in Warren County, N.J.

Since its founding in 1947 by J.I. Rodale, the Rodale Institute, Maxatawny Township, Berks County, has been committed to research in organic agriculture, advocating for policies that support farmers, and educating people about organic farming. The Institute is home to the Farming Systems Trial, America’s longest-running side-by-side comparison of chemical and organic agriculture.. New areas of study at the Rodale Institute include rates of carbon sequestration in chemical versus organic plots, new techniques for weed suppression and organic livestock.