RAFI Awards CORA $1,000 Grant

Posted on: June 26, 2020

In April, CORA was awarded a $1,000 grant from Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI) in support of our work in Chatham County. RAFI’s mission is to cultivate markets, policies, and communities that sustain thriving, socially just, and environmentally sound family farms. CORA agreed to use the money awarded to support local farmers by purchasing produce and distributing it to families facing food insecurity in our community.

In June we placed an order with Happy Dirt. Happy Dirt brings local farmers together to make organic sustainable produce more available in North Carolina. The week of June 22^nd we received 60 cases of beautiful produce that included peaches, Roma tomatoes, and summer squash. This produce was distributed at our Mobile Market in Siler City and the small amount remaining was given to families visiting the Pantry.

Often times when we give out produce to our families we are asked, “What do you make with that?” So, we wanted to share this simple recipe with the community.

Parmesan Roasted Squash

Ingredients:
6 medium squash
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons julienned basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Place the squash on a sheet pan and brush all over with olive oil. Turn the squash cut-side down, sprinkle with salt, and roast for 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the bread crumb topping. In a bowl mix, the garlic, parsley, basil, Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then add the breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well.

Turn the squash cut-side up and generously spoon the bread crumb mixture on each squash. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the bread crumb mixture is nice and crispy. Enjoy!

We are so grateful to RAFI for their support of our work of building a community without hunger. We are also proud to be able to support local farms through this partnership and other initiatives.