Howard remembers sitting down with a local Boy Scout troop many years ago to do a canned food drive. And as he did that drive, he wondered why he was giving away canned food when he is a farmer and could grow the food and give that directly to the people in need. With that one thought, Howard and his family made a commitment to help hungry people in their community. That was over 11 years ago and he has been donating fresh produce ever since through the Food Bank Council of Michigan's Michigan Agricultural Surplus System (MASS), which links Michigan's farmers to Michigan's food bank network.     

In 2006, Huffman Farms donated over 146,000 pounds of fresh produce such as corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers, melons and cabbage. Howard and Rachel Huffman are committed to serving the food banks and the families in every community. In Howard’s own words, “If we have hungry people, and especially needy children, good food should not be thrown away.” And for this generous spirit, Howard and Rachel Huffman were given the Food Bank Council of Michigan's Golden Harvest Award. The award was presented to them at the 2006 Michigan Harvest Gathering luncheon by Mitch Irwin, Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

The award is a replica of a Farmall Tractor (which is Howard’s favorite tractor at home) and the wording on the award states, “Providing the Bounty of their Harvest to Hungry People in Michigan”.

Howard and Rachel have been married for 64 years and have one daughter, 4 sons, 14 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. They have lived in Homer, Michigan for 62 years.

The Food Bank Council of Michigan is grateful for the support and the donations from farmers like Howard. To learn more about how you can donate fresh produce to food banks in your community, call 800-552-4483 or email mass@fbcmich.org.