A Lawrence County nonprofit is making it easier for locally grown and produced food to reach grocery store shelves across the Greater Wabash Region.
Beginning September 23, Harvest Link will deliver locally produced food to participating grocery stores, connecting farmers and food producers from Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White Counties with consumers throughout the region.
Customers can support local farmers simply by shopping at participating grocery stores. A list of participating stores is available at
www.harvestlinkhub.org/delivery.
“Farmers are producing great food right here in our region but getting that food from the farm to the customer can be a challenge,” said Trish Bellmore, Executive Director of Harvest Link. “Harvest Link is creating a more efficient way to move that food into our local communities while giving farmers additional opportunities to sell what they produce.”
Harvest Link was organized in September 2025 as an Illinois nonprofit focused on strengthening the local food system. The organization works to connect farmers with schools, grocery stores, hospitals, and other institutions that want to purchase locally produced food.
The delivery network is the first service being launched by Harvest Link. The organization is also working to secure funding for a regional co-packing kitchen that will allow local farmers and food producers to turn fresh products into value-added foods, helping extend the season, reduce waste, and create additional opportunities to sell locally produced food.
The goal is simple: make it easier for farmers to stay on the farm while making more locally produced food available to the communities they serve.
The delivery service is a business-to-business network. Harvest Link coordinates orders from participating businesses, works with local farmers and producers to fill those orders, and delivers the products throughout the region. The nonprofit is supported through grants, partnerships, and revenue generated through its services, helping build the infrastructure needed to strengthen the regional food system. With generous support from Think Regeneration, Harvest Link can provide refrigerated transportation to help keep locally produced food safe and fresh as it moves from farms to grocery stores and other buyers.
The grocery store delivery network will also create new opportunities for consumers to connect with local farmers. In January 2027, Harvest Link will promote a weekly vegetable subscription offering the season’s best harvest. Customers across the region will pick up their boxes at a participating store in their county, while supporting farmers across the Greater Wabash Region and throughout the state of Illinois.
Follow Harvest Link on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HarvestLink for information about the launch of the vegetable box and other ways to connect with local farmers.
To learn more about growing food for the Harvest Link network, visit www.harvestlinkhub.org and scroll to the bottom of the page for information