INSURANCE FRAUD. NEW THIS MORNING, WE ARE SPOTLIGHTING A LOCATION NOT KNOWN BY MANY THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF PRODUCE BEING GIVEN TO FAMILIES IN SACRAMENTO. KCRA 3’S ERIN HEFT JOINS US LIVE FROM THE SACRAMENTO FOOD BANK WITH THIS MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR. GOOD MORNING. STANDING AT THE LOCATION WHERE THESE IMPRESSIVE DONATIONS ARRIVE. BUT FIRST LET ME WALK YOU BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGINS. UNKNOWN BY MANY IN A PLACE MUCH BETTER KNOWN FOR ITS CROWDS, LIGHTS AND CARNIVAL RIDES LIES A THREE ACRE PLOT OF LAND WHERE BUSY HANDS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. THIS IS THE FARM ON THE CALIFORNIA STATE FAIR GROUNDS, CREATED IN THE 1980S MAINLY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. IT’S GROWN INTO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR PRODUCE FOR THE SACRAMENTO FOOD BANK, PRODUCING AT LEAST 10,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCE EVERY SINGLE YEAR. THE LAND PRODUCING OVER 100,000 POUNDS OF FOOD FOR LOCAL FAMILIES IN THEIR DECADE LONG PARTNERSHIP. THIS IS THE CELEBRATION OF WHAT CALIFORNIA IS. WE DONATE A LOT OF THIS RIGHT BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES, PRIMARILY THE LOCAL FOOD BANK, THE SACRAMENTO FOOD BANK. YOU KNOW, ANNUALLY, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE GROWTH, IT DEPENDS ON THE YEAR. THIS YEAR, WE’VE DONATED WELL OVER 10,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCE BACK TO THEM. AND AGAIN, IT’S WHAT WE DO TO CONTRIBUTE BACK TO WHAT OUR FARM IS. IT’S EDUCATIONAL AND GIVING BACK. AND IN THE LAST WEEK ALONE, THEY DONATED 400 POUNDS OF FOOD HERE OF TOMATOES, PEPPERS AND CHAYOTE ALL GOING STRAIGHT TO THE TABLES OF FAMILIES HERE IN THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY. ERIN HEFT KCRA THREE NEWS. ERIN, THANK YOU. AND THAT FARM ALSO, BY THE WAY, ACTS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FIELD TRIPS EVERY YEA
‘The Farm’ at Cal Expo is quietly feeding Sacramento-area families
From a hidden 3-acre plot on the California State Fairgrounds, caretakers harvest tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce for the Sacramento Food Bank, while inspiring the next generation of California farmers.
Updated: 7:12 AM PST Nov 10, 2025
Unknown to many, a three-acre oasis thrives behind the lights and carnival rides of the California State Fair. Tucked away on the fairgrounds, “The Farm” is nourished by hardworking hands on a simple mission: feed the Sacramento Valley.This week alone, caretakers have harvested a truckload of tomatoes, peppers, and a bounty of chayote totaling about 400 pounds headed to the Sacramento Food Bank. It’s a snapshot of a year-round effort that has delivered more than 100,000 pounds of fresh produce to local families over the past decade.“This is the celebration of what California is,” said Alex Alcantar, who helps showcase the many lives touched by the team’s work. “This is about what we do for our communities. We’ve been around for over 172 years and this is our celebration of our agricultural product.”Launched in the 1980s to inspire future farmers, The Farm’s fields double as a living classroom. Students on field trips get hands-on lessons seeing how food moves from vine to bucket to truck, then onto kitchen tables across the region.“We donate a lot of this right back to our communities,” Alcantar said. “This year we’ve donated well over 10,000 pounds of produce.” See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Unknown to many, a three-acre oasis thrives behind the lights and carnival rides of the California State Fair. Tucked away on the fairgrounds, “The Farm” is nourished by hardworking hands on a simple mission: feed the Sacramento Valley.
This week alone, caretakers have harvested a truckload of tomatoes, peppers, and a bounty of chayote totaling about 400 pounds headed to the Sacramento Food Bank. It’s a snapshot of a year-round effort that has delivered more than 100,000 pounds of fresh produce to local families over the past decade.
“This is the celebration of what California is,” said Alex Alcantar, who helps showcase the many lives touched by the team’s work. “This is about what we do for our communities. We’ve been around for over 172 years and this is our celebration of our agricultural product.”
Launched in the 1980s to inspire future farmers, The Farm’s fields double as a living classroom. Students on field trips get hands-on lessons seeing how food moves from vine to bucket to truck, then onto kitchen tables across the region.
“We donate a lot of this right back to our communities,” Alcantar said. “This year we’ve donated well over 10,000 pounds of produce.”
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel