Tri Cycle Farms Inc

Our Mission

Tri Cycle Farms (TCF) is a 501c (3) registered non-profit, urban community farm located in the center of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Founded in 2011, TCF seeks to address food insecurity in the neighboring community through food distribution and education. The mission of Tri Cycle Farms is to grow Community Through Soil as it stewards food awareness, education, and empowerment. Through engagement with community members experiencing food insecurity, TCF has successfully fulfilled its mission since the first garden was established in 2012. 

Urban Agriculture

Through community engagement experiences based on regenerative agricultural practices, equitable redistribution of foods to community members experiencing food insecurity, TCF continues to fulfill its mission of community building since the first garden was established in 2012. 

Community Engagement

The TCF gardens were developed as a means of addressing food insecurity in our neighboring community. Tri Cycle’s two-acre farm, established in 2011, has engaged a wide sector of volunteer groups including families and individual community members, University of Arkansas students and faculty, local businesses, children from public and private schools, and religious organizations. Each season, the farm has produced 1500-3000 pounds of food that have been donated to food insecure community members to increase their access to fresh, locally grown produce. Prior to Covid-19 TCF engaged a yearly average of 1500-1800 unique volunteers. Through individual volunteers, small group volunteer teams, and large workday events throughout the year TCF was able to plant, maintain, and harvest the two acres of gardens and urban orchard at TCF.  

Through volunteer opportunities, classes and workshops TCF has been able to provide community building and educational opportunities in regenerative urban agriculture, cooking and nutrition, native plants and pollinators, environmental stewardship, etc.  Through 2019 annual TCF community events have included the Fayetteville Seed Exchange, the Pesto Fest, Roots Fest Farm Jamboree, University of Arkansas Make a Difference Day, and MLK Jr Day of Service. 

Plant Shares

Additionally, in 2020 TCF developed our Plant Share Program to provide food plants, pollinator friendly perennials, annuals and herbs grown at Tri Cycle Farms and recovered from Whole Foods Market free to community members and partnering organizations. In 2022 more than 2,000 plants were distributed to partnering organizations and through on-site community Plant Share events.   

Food Recovery

Tri Cycle Farms has partnered with Whole Foods Market Fayetteville since 2017 to implement the Food Recovery and Distribution Program through delivering food to community members, nonprofit food pantries, and meal programs in Washington County. In 2020, the program expanded to include Natural Grocers in Fayetteville, AR. The receiving partners in the Food Recovery and Distribution Program each operate community meal programs and/or food pantries that serve low-income, food insecure communities. Each weekday, TCF receives an average of over 1,000 pounds of donated food from Whole Foods Market Fayetteville and Natural Grocers to distribute to the following organizations: 

• Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Pantry University of Arkansas 
• St. James Historically Black Missionary Baptist Church Community Center Pantry 
• Salvation Army Fayetteville 
• Genesis Church Pantry 
• Hillcrest Towers Resident Council/Fayetteville Housing Authority 
• Chestnut Apartments Resident Pantry 
• EOA Head Start- Washington County 
• New Beginnings 

Addressing Food Insecurity

To help address food insecurity issues within the community, the TCF Food Recovery and Distribution Program has provided:

• 190,000 pounds of food to low-income community members in 2022 and 2023
• 160,000 meals to low-income community members in 2022 and 2023
• 818,000 pounds of food to low-income community members since 2017
• 682,000 meals to low-income community members since 2017

This program fills a unique role in our local community by providing food on a year-round, weekly basis to organizations that provide pantry and meal services to those experiencing food insecurity. By providing healthy, nutritious foods and other resources to local organizations with established pantries and community meal programs, TCF provides valuable support that enables partnering organizations to better serve low-income, food insecure community members. 

Community of Practice

Tri Cycle Farms also participates in the UAMS NWA Food Insecurity Community of Practice with twenty-five other non-profit organizations addressing food insecurity. The objectives of this group are to evolve food recovery and distribution models, improve healthy food access in an equitable and inclusive way, increase the ability of organizations to operate as a coordinated body, and increase SNAP and WIC services.