Within the Stanislaus County, there are family owned farms that harvest fresh produce to provide for our dinner tables at home. Rancho Piccolo is a 60 acre, certified organic farm run by David Silveira and his family. While the farm believes in distributing only the best organic produce in season, the drought is still an ongoing hurdle they face, along with many farms in the surrounding areas.
In response to the drought, Rancho Piccolo Farm is hosting a banquet on Sep. 26, 2015 from 7-10 p.m., in Atwater, California. They will serve a fresh meal inspired by the farm, and be catered by Vinnie DeAngelo, from Bella Luna in Merced.  Tickets for the banquet are being sold at $43.19, and can be purchased through Eventbrite.com.
The main purpose behind this banquet is to prevent rising costs incurred by the drought for Rancho Piccolo customers, who receive weekly produce boxes. They take time to stay in communication with all of their customers through their Community Service Agriculture program (CSA).
“We offer weekly boxes to our CSA members for a fixed price every week, and we don’t want to raise prices for, what we hope is a temporary situation, the event should help us raise money for this one time event,” said Julie Moreno, CSA Coordinator.
Members can sign up on Rancho Piccolo’s website to receive weekly or biweekly deliveries of boxed fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs. They take time to package and deliver each subscription box special, based on the produce items that are being harvested during that time.
Purchasing a ticket will not only guarantee a fresh, satisfying meal, but it will also show the organic farm in action. Each ticket purchased will further the relief of rising costs due to the drought, and allow the farm to continue providing the best produce for their customers.