SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. — Izzie’s field is a farm just outside Franklin, Virginia. It's named after Izzie Brown, a community pioneer and former employee at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia & the Eastern Shore.
“Joyful, loving, supportive,” is how Izzie’s niece, Stachia Roundtree, describes her aunt.
Roundtree says Izzie was like a mom to her. Her aunt was a career educator at title one schools in Newport News. She says Izzie saw the hardships families faced firsthand when it came to putting food on the table.
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In 2019, Izzie retired from being an educator and she took a job as a grant writer at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
She wrote a grant that would bring together Kroger, New Life Church, Hubs Peanuts and Pop Son Farm to bring fresh food to people who can’t afford it.
“Lean protein, fresh produce the more expensive things in supermarkets and it's the first thing when you’re on a tight budget that goes away,” said Chris Tan, President and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
Partnerships like the grant Izzie helped write is why the farms to food bank program was so important to her.
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“She worked hard on that grant and she knew that it would be something good, something for the greater good,” said her niece.
Unfortunately Izzie never saw the first crop of corn pulled in from the grant she wrote. She died suddenly last year just a few months before the harvest. Izzie's family and food bank family say they take comfort in knowing her efforts and passion will live on.
“That fresh food, fresh picked by somebody with love,” said Roundtree.
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“We’re just so proud of what she was able to do for our Food Bank but that the last grant she wrote was successful and will bring food to our neighbors for many many years to come,” said Tan.
Despite Izzie not being here she and the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia & The Eastern Shore continue to positively make a difference in our community.
If you would like to donate to the Food Bank or volunteer, visit their website for details.
