Fun on the Farm

Scenes from the 2019 Monocacy Farm Food Festival

It was the kind of fall day where it’s warm in the sun and cool in the shade — pretty much perfect for fun and food outdoors at Monocacy Farm Project’s fourth annual food fest in September 2019.

The School Sisters of Francis property in Bethlehem, Pa., was filled with young families who brought their little ones to meet the animals, make fall crafts and enjoy outdoor fun. Adults perused unique foods and crafts, music, organic chocolates and craft wines and whiskeys.

The event highlights the good works of Monocacy Farm Project, which, through partnerships with community organizations, provides low-cost fresh produce to needy families in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and offers opportunities for green thumbs to farm their own plots and learn about sustainable food production. The 10-acre farming ministry was established by the Sisters in 2013 to continue their century-long mission of helping the needy.

Sister Bonnie Marie Kleinschuster and her team have helped to grow the program incrementally in the past few years by securing grants from corporations and foundations who recognize the very real impact of putting fresh food on the tables of families who otherwise could not afford it. The 2019 event drew 800 patrons and raised more than $20,000 to continue the farm’s good works.