People lined up for free groceries on Wednesday morning at Community Food Connection in Alcoa were the beneficiaries of an Easter surprise.
Sarah and Murray Smith, owners of Framer’s Farm in Maryville, arrived just before the doors to the food bank opened. In their truck were 208 dozen of eggs the couple donated to CFC of Blount County. Those fresh eggs were immediately handed out as CFC clients made their way through the shopping line.
As this couple explained, they wanted to simply share their bounty.
“We started out with 36 birds, that was it,’ said Sarah. “Now we have 350.”
This husband/wife team sells its eggs locally to Amburn’s Market, Maryville Corner Market, Horn of Plenty and Hyde Farms. Framer’s Farm eggs are used in the kitchen at Maryville Corner Market and will soon be featured in Lambert’s Southern Pie and Bake Shop Cafe. They do not sell directly to the public.
Sarah, who previously worked in television production, and Murray, a carpenter, started the farm in 2017, on 13 and a half acres on Carpenters Grade Road.
“We had to build the infrastructure and that took years,” Sarah said. “We really just started two years ago with not very much. Now we have gone all in with the birds.”
They have five different varieties of chickens that lay eggs with colors ranging from robin’s egg blue to beige and honey. “They are so beautiful people might not see the need to color them,” Sarah said. The eggs will look perfect inside an Easter basket, she explained.
Murray and Sarah also tout the taste of fresh eggs versus ones found in stores. Fresh eggs are much creamier, they both said. Sarah spends at least an hour per day hand-washing each egg.
This is not the first time Framer’s Farm has donated to CFC. Eggs were provided back during Christmas time, but not 208 dozen. The Smiths said their hen population has grown since then. They estimated they gave away 550 dozen of eggs last summer, making sure their supply stays fresh.
Shift leader for CFC on this Wednesday morning was Heather Reed, who saw to it that things ran smoothly as clients came in to shop. She said this nonprofit serves 5,000 clients each month. That number doesn’t go down, she said. People line up two hours before the doors open, Reed said. Everything is provided at no cost.
Framer’s Farm operates with just these two workers/owners. They both love to stay active. “This is like a 13-and -a-half-acre Peloton,” Murray said.
Sarah also wants more people to know that CFC exists for people struggling to make ends meet. “We love what we do and we love helping out this food bank,” she said.
CFC is open from 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays; and 2 to 4 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month to serve veterans. Address is 137 N. Calderwood St., Alcoa, in New Midland Plaza.
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