A new pilot program will bring fresh, locally grown produce to food pantries in Montezuma and Dolores counties and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Nation.
The Pantry Produce Share Program is a partnership between Good Food Collective, Southwest Community Food Alliance and Banga’s Farm. The program is expected to provide about 20,000 pounds of produce over a 16-week harvest season from June through October.
Farmer Dave Banga said the model gives him a more dependable way to sell produce, while helping get local food to people who may not otherwise be able to afford it.
Banga has been growing market vegetables for more than two decades. He said farmers markets can be physically demanding, with harvest days followed by early mornings, heavy loading and unloading, and long days of selling directly to customers.
He said selling produce through the pantry program reduces some of that labor, including individual packaging, while still allowing him to grow a wide range of seasonal vegetables.
According to Good Food Collective, the 2026 growing season will serve as a pilot year for the program. Continuing or expanding the effort beyond this season will require longer-term funding.
In other local news, the Dolores Library District Board has voted to terminate Executive Director Sean Gantt’s contract.
According to reporting from The Journal, the board voted 5-to-0 earlier this month after discussing the results of a third-party workplace assessment in executive session. Board President Sandy Jumper told The Journal the assessment was the basis for the decision, but the findings have not been publicly released.
Gantt had led the library for roughly six years.
KSJD reported previously that the board ordered the workplace review in May after receiving complaints related to Gantt’s leadership and the library’s work environment.
