According to the United States Census Bureau, between 2008 and 2012, 14% of our Palm Beach County residents lived below poverty level. A recent study done by the Howard G Buffett Foundation and the Nielsen Company, in collaboration with Feeding America, revealed that 13.4% of the South Florida population is food insecure, with 784,110 people not knowing where they will get their next meal. 21.5% of children in South Florida are food insecure.

R.C. Hatton Inc. has been feeding the hungry with fresh produce for more than 20 years through its outreach efforts. The farm harvests over 100,000 pounds of fresh corn and green beans annually to be distributed to humanitarian organizations in Palm Beach County and surrounding areas. Defined by C.R.O.S. Ministries as “a traditional way of collecting crops from farmers’ fields that have been mechanically harvested,” gleaning requires the cooperation and donations of local farmers in order to serve the community. After harvest, the food is donated to agencies that distribute it to those in need.  R.C. Hatton Inc. received the Countess de Hoernle Humanitarian Award for its participation in the United Way Gleaning Program.