Cultivate, the South Bend-based food rescue nonprofit, will expand its operations into Elkhart County. Although the organization already serves Elkhart County, it will now offer new opportunities for volunteers. Jim Conklin, executive director and co-founder of Cultivate, said the expansion will provide much-needed help to the county.
“We expanded into Elkhart because it’s more convenient for volunteers in Elkhart County,” Conklin said. “Driving to South Bend can be a haul if you’re coming from Goshen or the east side of Elkhart.”
Starting in October, Cultivate will use the Bullard Farm Market in Elkhart, which closed in 2022, to accommodate up to 200 volunteers weekly. This move will enable the organization to expand its backpack meal distribution for food-insecure students.
“Last year, we served 1,350 students,” Conklin said. “We hope to double that by expanding into Elkhart.”
Conklin said Cultivate is on track to rescue more than 4 million pounds of food in 2024. This effort significantly impacts both food insecurity and the environment.
“From an environmental standpoint, about 120 billion pounds of food gets wasted in the U.S. each year,” Conklin said. “If food waste in the U.S. were a country, it would be the third-largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world.”
