The Produce Box

We received this from the NC Works department and are so thankful that they shared this story with us so we can pass it onto you and all of our Produce Box members who make our Hero Boxes happen all year long... "Our veteran Owen Melvin was a recipient of a Produce Box back in August 2015. Owen came into the office as a homeless veteran seeking housing, services and employment assistance. We were able to help him become stable thru the support of his family and valuable community resources. We also assisted Owen with an appointment with Ellis Pinder, the New Hanover County VSO in our local office to help him get benefits through the VA, gave him bus passes through the Wave Foundation/VFW collaboration so he could make the appointments to get the care at the VA that he so badly needed. He once told me that he walked 2 hours back and forth to make his VA appointments because he had no money nor a ride…. we made sure that never happened again. Then, his health started to decline ...

Every year around Thanksgiving, we love to say THANK YOU to our members who have donated Community Boxes throughout the year. This month, we were stunned to discover that one family donated A TON of Boxes. Kim and Thomas Monahan donated 106 COMMUNITY BOXES in 2015! We are blown away by their commitment to supporting our community with Produce Box donations, and decided we needed to honor their family’s generous spirit with a $1,000 donation to a charity of their choice -- Doctors Without Borders . “Growing up I remember my parents always donated to it, so it means a lot to me to continue that tradition,” said Kim. Doctors Without Borders was founded in the early 1970s, and is one of the world’s most well known independent humanitarian relief organizations. They provide medical assistance in areas around the world affected by natural and man-made disasters. Kim and her husband joined The Produce Box more than a year ago because of their two young children. It was important...

Are you planning a “LOCAL” Thanksgiving? We’ve got you covered with some recipes the whole family will love. This Thanksgiving, give your family a taste of farm fresh North Carolina with a few sweet potato recipes. If you’re looking for a starter, look no further than this sweet potato and butternut squash soup from The Produce Box’s Chef Joe.  The sweet potato soufflé will be a great treat and something your family might not have tasted before, and our sweet potato pie made from scratch will have you swearing off the store-bought versions.

Certified Organic. Chemical-Free. Pesticide-Free. What do all of these labels mean? We get this question a lot, and at The Produce Box, we’ve done our homework so you don’t have to. Organic produce means that farmers follow specific regulations from the US Department of Agriculture about how they grow the food and the chemicals used in the production. These regulations prohibit the use of genetically modified products, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, require detailed records, and have on-site inspections. Like many laws and regulations, though, they don’t necessarily encompass all of the things we want in our food, and produce in the grocery store can be labeled organic even if it’s imported from outside of the US. For a North Carolina farmer, getting the organic certification is a long, costly procedure. It can often entail letting fields go fallow for up to 5 years -- something few small farmers can afford to do. That's why offer quite a few options to b...

A finalist for IndyWeek’s “Triangle’s Best” several years in a row, Hillsborough Cheese Company is top notch. They practice what they preach – quality over quantity – and we feel very fortunate to offer their products on our artisan menu at The Produce Box. Cindy West is the owner, founder and head cheesemaker at Hillsborough Cheese Company. After culinary training in Memphis and a year of learning in France, Cindy came back to the States and found herself missing the wonderful cheese she experienced in Europe. She spent a few years in the culinary industry and raised two kids, before deciding it was time to start her own cheese company. Hillsborough Cheese Company focuses on fresh and aged cheese made from cow and goat milk. They are known best for chevre and bloomin’ cheeses in a variety of flavors. It’s a family business - even Cindy's children are involved and her husband Dorian has joined her to focus on marketing and sales efforts. The West family is passionate ...