Teter Retreat and Organic Farm, an outreach mission of Noblesville First United Methodist Church, is a nonprofit that grows more than 40 varieties of vegetables, fruits and cut flowers to increase access to healthy food in the community.
Teter Retreat and Organic Farm at 10980 E. 221st St. in Noblesville supplies a significant portion of fresh produce to the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank for distribution to local pantries and food programs that serve more than 32,160 food-insecure people in Hamilton County. It also sells community-supported agriculture co-op shares and produce at farmers markets.
The farm is gearing up for its annual Farm To Table dinner fundraiser Sept. 27 at Delaware Township Community Center in Fishers, 9094 E. 131st St.
“The Farm To Table dinner is one of the highlights of the farm year,” Operations Director Katy Rogers said. “We’re on track to raise and donate 45,000 servings of fresh organic produce to Hamilton County residents in need.”
Individual tickets for the event are $85 and include appetizers, a three-course meal with a choice of chicken or a vegetarian entrée, and two drinks, including beer and wine. Sponsorship packages are available starting at $500.
This year’s event, supported by Mission Partners Daystar Directional Drilling and Jackie and Dave Cox, will provide a culinary experience featuring fresh vegetables from Teter Organic Farm.
“We provide all the vegetables for the dinner, the salad and the side dishes,” Rogers said. “We are also experimenting with harvesting strawberries, which will help make the sauce for the dinner’s dessert.”
Rogers said the event, being presented for the seventh year, is the farm’s largest fundraiser. She said proceeds are used for various projects, depending on the farm’s needs
“Sometimes, we have a capital project we are working on, and funds will be put toward that. Other years, they go to general operations,” Rogers said. “It fluctuates, but mostly, it is to keep our mission going and growing.”
The evening will feature a program moderated by Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen and a panel of guests, including the leaders who created Teter Retreat and Organic Farm: Pastor Aaron Hobbs, the first farm director; Jonah Tabb, Teter’s first farm manager; and Rogers, who has been the director since 2020. The program will celebrate the origins of the farm’s mission to increase access to healthy food and provide ecological education while sharing its path to expansion.
“We want to increase our capacity in our fields and maximize what we’re doing with this space,” Rogers said. “We’ve brought on more labor and created more efficiencies in the system.”
Pam Boyd, a Teter Retreat and Organic Farm volunteer, said major infrastructure items the facility needs are a four-season wash pack and a produce barn, which would make processing vegetables and washing produce easier in the colder months.
Rogers said the farm also needs a place to store fruit.
“We’ve got an orchard out here with 280 trees in it, and that fruit is going to come in,” Rogers said. “We’ve tried really hard to get varieties that would come in over the course of a three-month period because we know we can’t store that many trees worth of food. The food bank also can’t store it.”
The Hamilton County Community Foundation is a sponsor and community partner in Teter’s food security mission.
“We are grateful to support Teter Organic Farm as they work to increase access to healthy food for those who are food insecure throughout Hamilton County,” said Jeena Siela, senior community leadership officer for the Hamilton County Community Foundation. “They are a vital
partner in the Hamilton County Food Resource Coalition, led by the Hamilton County Community Foundation, in which they lend their time and talent to strengthen the emergency food systems throughout Hamilton County so that every resident has access to healthy food. On behalf of the foundation, we are happy to support the incredible impact that Teter Organic Farm has on our community and encourage others to attend this fundraiser to do the same.”
Teter Retreat and Organic Farm is open to the public during daytime. For more, visit TeterOrganicFarm.com/FarmToTable.
More to find on the farm
Teter Retreat and Organic Farm in Noblesville grows food because it believes everyone deserves to eat healthily. It grows certified organic produce for local food pantries, food banks and feeding programs and farmers markets, including the Noblesville Farmers Market.
The farm also offers tours, farm stays and environmental education and hosts outdoor weddings, retreats, corporate outings and family reunions. The farm also is always looking for volunteers for its flower fields, peace garden and several other areas. It recently added limited mobility-accessible garden beds. To volunteer, visit app.betterimpact.com/PublicOrganization/fdddc6eb-d597-4fa8-82b0-591586427ddd/1.
