Hopkins Farm - Feeding Pennsylvania

Bill and Leanne Hopkins, along with their children – Andrew, Jennifer, and Samantha – operate Hopkins Farm LLC, a vegetable farm operation based in Falls (Wyoming County).

The family grows produce in nearby Luzerne and Lackawanna County as well. In 2022, Bill, a military veteran of 30 years, had connected with Feeding Pennsylvania through his work with Pennsylvania Veteran Farming Network looking for additional outlets for his products. Bill was connected with Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank and learned about support through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) program.

Bill Hopkins reflected, “Working with Weinberg Food Bank and Matt Krupa has easily been one of my most rewarding new relationships in recent years at the farm. Since working with the food bank, we have had a lot less food waste since Weinberg is flexible to receive a nice mix of produce on a regular basis from our farm.”

He continued, “Our relationship has given Hopkins Farm the flexibility to grow more product and a more diverse mix of items knowing that we sell any excess to Weinberg through funding from the PASS program. The extra income and time saved from our relationship has allowed us to invest in our packaging to help service all of our customers. It has been really beneficial for our business.”

Matt Krupa, Director of Operations at Weinberg NEPA Regional Food Bank shared, “We receive a lot of positive feedback from our partners about PASS, and encourage them to build relationships with farms in their area that we may not have a direct connection with. Our goal is to try and extend the opportunity to as many growers and processors in our service territory as possible, and we are very appreciative of the program as it helps both members of our community and local agriculture.” Matt would continue to say, “It has been a pleasure working with Hopkins Farm and the PASS program for the past few years. Our agencies and the clients they serve are extremely grateful for the quality produce we receive from Bill, especially knowing that it comes from members of our community. He has been able to provide a great variety of nutritious items for our organization that support our goal of ‘hungry to healthy.’”

As for Hopkins Farm, supporting neighbors in their community is built into the mission of their organization. “Some of the families that have received our products have visited our farm stand to thank us. We like to make sure no one is hungry” shared Bill. “Sometimes, we’ll donate some plants to other charitable organizations to help individuals grow food at home.”

Going forward, Hopkins Farms plans to continue their work with Weinberg NEPA Regional Food Bank and the PASS program. Bill claimed, “I serve on the board of the Scranton Cooperative Farmers Market, and I let the vendors know that if they have product they wish to donate at the end of the day, I’ll accept and bring it along on my next delivery. All in all, the PASS program is a win-win-win…It helps the farmer, it helps the food bank, and it helps neighbors in need in our region. It’s been easy to incorporate our work with Weinberg into our business plans and it’s probably one of the best programs to come around in recent years.”