Families in need benefit from Carson City Concert Under the Stars

When people receive food from the Ron Wood Family Resource Center, they expect the traditional nonperishable canned and frozen items, which they do get. But they’re often surprised when they see fresh produce, courtesy of the Greenhouse Project.

“They don’t expect it, and they are just delighted when we offer that to them,” said Joyce Buckingham, executive director of the Ron Wood Family Resource Center. “Most of our people don’t have the funds to buy this nutritious, fresh food that their bodies need.”

Karen Abowd, president and founder of the Greenhouse Project, said it provides about 2,000 pounds of fresh produce annually to service organizations throughout Carson City.

“It’s about health and wellness,” she said. “We are what we eat. You can’t substitute the vitamins and minerals you get from fresh produce.”

The project started with a greenhouse on the Carson High School campus and has since grown to include a hoop house at Carson Tahoe Hospital and at Eagle Valley Children’s Home.

It’s largely funded through the Concert Under the Stars, which is in 10th year.

This year’s concert will feature Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Jefferson Starship, with special guest Midnight North. It will begin 5:30 p.m. July 11 at the Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St.

“This concert is our major fundraiser,” Abowd said. “It goes a huge way toward operations. We depend on this.”

Buckingham said her organization serves about 3,000 people per month, with more than half being children.

Clients include the elderly, disabled and families struggling to make ends meet.

“A lot of our families are working poor, where both parents have jobs, but every penny they have goes to pay the rent, utilities and everything else,” Buckingham said. “Food then becomes just what they can afford after keeping a roof over their heads. Fresh produce is a luxury.”

Other organizations that distribute produce from the Greenhouse Project include the Salvation Army, FISH, C.I.R.C.L.E.S and Food for Thought.

“For the most part, they are receiving canned or boxed food, or produce at the end of its shelf life,” Abowd said. “It’s important that fresh produce be a part of their diet.”

Purchase tickets for the Concert Under the Stars, or learn more about the Greenhouse Project, at CarsonCityGreenhouse.org.