You are probably familiar with the Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA): the non-profit that brings us the bountiful Wednesday and Saturday farmers markets. What you may not know is that beneath the displays of ruby red beets, shiny green kale and brightly colored bunches of carrots lies a deep commitment to food security for all.

Many of us look forward to devouring that first spring strawberry, chomping on that mid-summer ear of corn so sweet it hardly needs cooking and munching on a crisp red apple on a chilly fall morning.

VIGA’s mission includes making those delectable and healthy experiences available to all through its Food Access Partnership (“Effort will get local produce on more plates,” April 29). The partnership’s programs demonstrate the importance of reaching out to low-income islanders who might otherwise not be able to purchase those fresh fruits and vegetables many of us take for granted. We proudly identify as VIGA’s social justice arm.

As a member of the small-but-tenacious all-volunteer partnership team, along with Karen Biondo, Lisa Hassleman, Merrilee Runyan and Dana Illo, our board liaison, I am delighted to share our story and to encourage your involvement so that we may continue to grow.

Our work is personal for me on several accounts.: My son is the director and chief farmer of an organic non-profit farm, and my young granddaughter has been harvesting (into her mouth) berries, tomatoes and sugar snaps since she was 2. She never has to worry about enough fresh food on her table. In contrast, while volunteering at the food bank, I witnessed too many islanders suffering from food insecurity and too many children worried about their next meal.

Emily Scott, a food bank staff member, informed me that about one in seven islanders shops there annually.

About 25 percent of services go to seniors and another 25 percent to children. I can’t imagine anyone who finds those staggering numbers acceptable.

Increasing the availability and accessibility of healthy, locally-grown food is a hallmark of a just society. We believe that yummy and nutritious food is both an individual right, as well as a necessity for the health of the entire community. In the same vein, we want to guarantee that our local farmers make a healthy living for the abundance they deliver.

VIGA’s Food Access Partnership ensures that farmers’ efforts go way beyond producing fabulous food for those who can afford it. We do not want to be a place where hunger exists in the midst of plenty. Instead, we choose to offer a model for how small communities invest in local food and make it increasingly available to all. We believe that Vashon has a significant role to play in the food security movement.

The partnership benefits our entire community. It increases the purchasing power for those most at risk for hunger and poor nutrition, and it supports our farmers by increasing the sales of locally grown food, a big win-win for all. We are making it possible for patrons receiving senior, WIC and EBT (food stamps) coupons to purchase locally-grown fruits and vegetables at both the markets and VIGA farmstands through our Market Buck Match Program.

Additionally, we have partnered with eight social service organizations, providing them with dollar-value coupons, so they can share them with clients and/or use them to purchase food for client meal preparation.

So far in 2015, these customers and non-profits have redeemed $3,630, and we anticipate doubling that amount by year’s end.

One Saturday, I overheard a small child asking his mom if he could get some cherries. She handed him a couple of coupons and said, “Sure!” Fresh, local cherries were a rare treat for this family.

Our hope for next summer is to expand our win-win model further. With additional volunteers, we plan to host a donation station at the Saturday market, where shoppers can leave produce they have purchased specifically to give away. We will distribute all contributions to those non-profits who prepare meals for their clients. We welcome your ideas and involvement as we continue to blossom and grow.

In closing, I offer an ode to kale from a coupon customer: “I’m getting more kale with these ‘bucks’… I need to be eating more kale!”

Just imagine an island full of healthy shoppers gleefully waving their bunches of kale in the air in celebration of a community where we all join together with island farmers to feed all island neighbors.

— Janie Starr is an island activist and writer. This column is part of a series by VIGA members. VIGA represents local farmers and those who eat and use their products.