The Well food pantry on cutting edge, brings hydroponic produce to those in need

Hope and dignity are the primary goals for The Well Outreach, says Chief Executive Officer, Shelly Sassen, as the food pantry finds fresh new ways to innovate and feed hungry families.

Now, clients at the new The Well facility in Mt. Pleasant in Maury County can access high quality food options without the rising cost of grocery shopping – an expense that is becoming increasingly difficult for many to afford.

Enter hydroponic lettuce growing – a method that uses various means of growing produce via a nutrient-based water solution.

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Grants have allowed much expansion for the ministry and the new hydroponic growth system is just one new direction that will yield fresh varieties of lettuce, grown entirely at the pantry's new Mt. Pleasant location.

Finding a sustainable way to provide fresh produce at a reasonable cost has been a big challenge, according to Sassen.

“We are thankful this enables us to meet our goal,” Sassen said. “This allows us to honor our mission of giving dignity and hope to our clients by providing access to the very best products that we can.”

Describing the choice of offering lettuce as a versatile food, cheap to produce, Sassen said growing greens on-site will ensure freshness and abundance under one roof, cutting out transport.

The Well Outreach recently expanded its single Spring Hill location by opening a second location in April in Mt. Pleasant, 700 N. Main St., which is more than twice the size of its original location . The new 16,000 square-foot facility houses a large food pantry, coffee shop, consultation rooms, prayer rooms, a children's area and warehouse area for food storage.

The response to the new hydroponic option been huge, Sassen said, with the help of social media.

Greenstar, Romaine, Butterhead and Summer Crisp varieties will make their way into the homes of the nearly 1,300 people, according to Sassen.

The new greens offer a higher grade of food that people would find with farm-to-table options.

The pantry is also offering meat and dairy from nearby local farms, including farm fresh Jersey milk from Old Stone Creamery Market produced by Cleburne Jersey and Angus Farm in Spring Hill and beef from 1822 Farms in Williamsport.

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How hydroponics were introduced at the pantry

The Well used its grant funds to purchase the hydroponic system installed onsite thanks in part to a Cigna Healthcare initiative that seeks to create better communities.

Across the globe, Cigna has given 15 fellowships to nonprofits to launch the Community Ambassador Fellows program, a fellowship forged by choosing a nonprofit partner to better the community.

“The goal is to complete a project to positively impact the health and vitality of individuals in the communities where we live and work,” said Cigna senior clinical account executive, Kent Wuflestad, who serves as project leader.

Wuflestad and leaders of The Well identified hydroponics as an innovative approach to help deliver fresh produce year around, and Wuflestad was selected by Cigna as a 2024 Community Ambassador Fellow to turn the hydroponics dream into reality for The Well.

Wuflestad was given a three-month term to help implement the new project with $20,000 partial funding from Cigna.

The Cigna grant works alongside Gov. Bill Lee’s Community Development Block Grant program to assist lower-income families. In total, $70,000 has been prioritized to help kick start the environmentally friendly growing method, which will yield 50 pounds of lettuce per week.

Hydroponic growing at a food pantry is something brand new that one would have to look far and wide to find, according to Wuflestad.

Part of his job is to guide and educate staff and volunteers on the growing and production process.

The process begins with seeds being planted in saturated rock wool, or small nutrient-filled porous fertilizing trays, housing buds which are then transported to a large "flood tray" where they receive proper light and continue growing.

Patrons can view the cylindrical growing columns where the lettuce is eventually ready for picking.

What sets hydroponic lettuce apart?

The hydroponic growing method is free of pesticides and not entirely organic but eliminates some negative aspects of food processing.

It’s a refreshing surprise for many clients, said Mt. Pleasant site manager, Dawson Gorman.

“Their eyes kind of pop when clients see the new produce,” Gorman said. “This is the first time they’ve ever seen anything like this here.”

For now, Sassen says the plan is to keep the efforts focused on producing quality lettuce but says, other foods like tomatoes are not out of the question for the future.

Until that time, Sassen says the pantry will continue to offer the best food possible for clients.

For more information, visit www.thewelloutreach.org .

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: The Well food pantry on cutting edge, brings hydroponic produce to those in need