Share the Harvest Farm’s biggest fundraiser of the year returns on Sunday, August 2, from 5 to 8 PM, and includes an evening of local food, drinks, music, community, and giving back on the farm in East Hampton. Proceeds support their work growing and donating fresh, organically grown produce to local food pantries and community partners across the East End.
We spoke to Meredith Arm, the executive director, to learn more.
Can you share the story behind Share the Harvest Farm and how it began?
Share the Harvest Farm was founded in 2010 by three recently retired seniors, John Malafronte, Ira Bezoza, and Peter Garnham, who were looking for a meaningful way to give back to their community. They met while tending neighboring garden plots at the East End Community Organic Farm (EECO Farm) and began talking about a simple idea: what if they grew food specifically for local food pantries?
They believed that everyone deserves access to the incredible, beautiful, and nutritious produce we’re so fortunate to have here on the East End of Long Island. Healthy food shouldn’t be a luxury. While our region is often associated with abundance, many of our neighbors face food insecurity, often having to choose between paying the electric bill, filling a prescription, or putting dinner on the table.
What started as a handful of volunteers growing vegetables for local food pantries has grown into a farm dedicated to growing fresh, organically grown produce with the intention of donating it. Every heirloom tomato, cucumber, carrot, and head of lettuce is planted with a purpose. Our produce often goes directly from the field to our recipients’ plates within hours of being harvested, ensuring they receive the freshest, most nutritious food possible.
For those who may not be familiar with Share the Harvest Farm, can you talk about the impact the organization has locally?
We’re a small farm with a big heart and an even bigger impact. In 2025 alone, we donated more than 60,000 pounds of fresh, organically grown produce, helping provide healthy food to more than 1,000 local families each week. Today, nearly a dozen community partners depend on us for consistent deliveries of fresh produce. Those partners include food pantries, childcare centers, senior housing communities, a women’s shelter, and other nonprofit organizations serving our neighbors across the East End.
But we’re about even more than donating food. We want the farm to be a place where people connect with their food, with nature, and with one another. Throughout the year, we welcome volunteers and community groups like the Ross School Gardening Club, Girl Scout troops, and ReWild East End to learn about sustainable farming and the importance of giving back.
This summer, we’re partnering with the Springs Food Pantry and Pitch Your Peers Teen on an internship program that gives local teens hands-on experience both on the farm and in our commercial kitchen. They’ll help prepare healthy snacks for children in our community while learning about agriculture, nutrition, teamwork, and service.
We’re also excited to begin welcoming residents from The Retreat to the farm for meaningful time outdoors and trauma-informed nutrition and cooking classes led by culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks. We hope these programs create opportunities for healing, connection, and empowerment through fresh food and shared experiences.
At the end of the day, our mission is about growing a healthier community, creating meaningful connections, and making sure everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food.
What can guests look forward to at this year’s summer soirée?
Guests can look forward to a beautiful evening on the farm. They’ll enjoy incredible food and drinks from our favorite local chefs, restaurants, wineries, breweries, and distilleries, with many dishes featuring produce harvested right here on our farm. They’ll dance under the summer sky to live music from REEB, bid on an incredible curated silent auction, strike a pose in the James Lane photo booth, and spend the evening surrounded by people who care deeply about this community.
The Summer Soirée is always a magical night, but what makes it truly special is the reason we’re all there. Every ticket purchased, every auction bid, and every donation helps us continue growing and donating fresh, healthy food to our neighbors. It’s a celebration with a really meaningful purpose.
How does the soirée help support Share the Harvest Farm’s ongoing work?
The Summer Soirée is our largest fundraiser of the year, and it makes our mission of Growing to Give possible. It provides the resources to sustain our day-to-day operations, from purchasing seeds, compost, and equipment to maintaining the farm and supporting our small but mighty farm team, led by our Farm Director Matt Quirk.
Just as importantly, it gives us the opportunity to look ahead. As the need for fresh, healthy food continues to grow, we want to grow right along with it by increasing the amount of produce we donate, expanding our programs, and serving even more families across the East End.
What has surprised you most about leading this organization?
I think what has surprised me most is how many people still don’t know about Share the Harvest Farm or the incredible impact we’re able to make as a small organization. Even more surprising is how many people don’t realize that food insecurity exists right here on the East End. Because our community is often viewed as affluent, it’s easy to overlook the fact that many of our neighbors struggle to put healthy food on the table.
At the same time, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to meet some of the most generous, compassionate people through this work. Whether it’s donors, volunteers, local businesses, or our nonprofit partners, I’ve seen what can happen when people come together around a common purpose. One of my favorite parts of this job is collaborating with other organizations because we can accomplish so much more together than any of us could alone.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of Share the Harvest Farm?
I would love for Share the Harvest Farm to continue growing so we can serve even more people. Every year we see how much this work matters, and I’d love to reach even more families across the East End while expanding our programs and strengthening our community partnerships.
We’re community-powered, and that’s one of the things I’m most proud of. Every volunteer, donor, sponsor, community partner, and supporter plays a role in making this work possible. My hope is that even more people will discover Share the Harvest Farm, get involved, and become part of what we’re building together.
