Farmer discusses need for fresh food for city children.
By: Lea Kahn
Mikey Azzara never misses a chance to spread the word about farm-fresh food.
So when Mr. Azzara, of Main Street, was invited to take part in the annual Farm Aid fundraising concert, held Saturday at the Tweeter Center in Camden, he leaped at the opportunity.
Farm Aid is a national nonprofit organization that works to keep family farmers on their land, according to www.farmaid.com, the group’s Web site. It was started in 1985 by musicians Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in response to widespread foreclosures that were forcing heavily mortgaged family farmers off their land in the Midwest.
Since then, the musicians have held 21 concerts in various parts of the country. The group’s Web site says 80 cents of each dollar raised goes to support family farmers. The Tweeter Center concert in Camden was attended by 25,000 people and raised more than $1 million.
"When Farm Aid announced they were coming to New Jersey, they called the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (to participate)," said Mr. Azzara, who is NOFA-NJ’s outreach coordinator.
"Farm Aid is trying to coordinate an awareness of (the link between) family farms and fresh food," he said. "I saw it as a major opportunity to reach a new audience. Camden needs a lot of help to bring fresh, healthy food into the city."
During the week preceding the Farm Aid concert, Mr. Azzara said farmers visited five schools in Camden. The farmers went into the classroom to talk about farm offerings and to offer children a taste of fresh farm food, he said.
Farm Aid organizers also held a press conference the morning of the concert, deciding to focus on younger farmers and people who work with the organic food and farm system, Mr. Azzara said. The average age of a farmer is 55, he added.
So Mr. Azzara, 27, found himself sharing the stage at a press conference Saturday morning with musicians Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews.
"We need to be cultivating the younger generation of farmers," he said. "We need their youthful energy to keep it going."
An organic dairy farmer from Vermont, two organic vegetable farmers from Kutztown, Pa., and a woman who wants to open an organic food cooperative in Chester, Pa., also took part in the press conference.
Each participant had a different story, Mr. Azzara said. The Vermont dairy farmer was concerned about fair pricing for organic milk in his state. The woman from Chester wanted to be sure that people had access to fresh healthy food in her area.
"They asked me to talk about my work with young people," he said. "I talked about the fresh food in the schools program and getting children excited about eating fresh food. The programs are going well. Most importantly, the children are eating it. They come back for seconds, thirds and fourths."
Mr. Azzara has worked with students at the Lawrenceville Elementary School to plant a garden. He also has worked with children enrolled in the Lawrence Neighborhood Service Center’s after-school program and its summer camp program to plant a garden. The young gardeners harvest the crops and eat the food.
"The most important component is that we are involving the children in the process of growing food," he said. "They take pride in what they grow and they are willing and excited to try new food. They plant, weed and water the crops. Then, we serve it in the cafeteria."
Reflecting on his experience last week, Mr. Azzara said he was honored to be involved in Farm Aid and to stand on the same stage "in the presence of greatness" with Mssrs. Nelson, Young, Mellencamp and Matthews.
"It was a thrilling experience to be on stage with them, just to have the weight of these people behind your message," he said. "There are so many people out there who are listening to what you have to say."
"It’s an opportunity for me to get the message out to New Jersey and, in some cases, the entire country," Mr. Azzara said. "What we are doing is a model for educators, for building a demand (for fresh food) from young people."

