How a Family Turned Their Lawn into 10 Tons of Hope

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Jean-Marie & Cory Buxton. Read their story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

In 2018, Jean-Marie and Cory Buxton looked at their one-acre property in Corvallis, Oregon, and saw more than just a yard. They saw an opportunity to feed their community. By removing one-third of their lawn to plant organic crops and dedicating another third as a fruit orchard, the couple launched the Farmette Project with a simple philosophy: grow-to-give. Seven years later, that vision has blossomed into a staggering reality. As of the 2025 season, the family has reached a monumental milestone, delivering 10 tons of free, fresh produce to neighbors facing food insecurity, local food banks and nearby Native American tribes.

The operation is a labor of love that requires grit and creativity, often demanding up to 160 hours a month during the peak summer season. To keep the project self-funded without taking a salary, Jean-Marie leverages 25 years of experience as a soap maker, selling handmade crafts to cover expenses and purchase high-value produce, like melons and berries, at discounted rates. This sweat equity is matched by deep community ties, as the couple spends hours harvesting in Oregon State University’s Dry Farming Collaborative fields and gleaning surplus from local partners.

The Buxtons’ work creates a vital bridge between agricultural abundance and those facing food insecurity. For 12 weeks each summer, they coordinate deliveries to partners like St. Vincent DePaul and coastal Native American tribes, ensuring that fresh, nutritious food reaches tables that need it most. The project has become a masterclass in logistics and heart, securing farm matches where every dollar spent on produce is doubled in value by generous farmers. As one private donor noted, the project provides a grateful outlet for families who grow more than they can consume, turning excess harvest into community sustenance.

Driven by the core values that fresh food matters and that a single family can make a difference, the Buxtons show no signs of slowing down. After meeting their 10-ton goal, they are already looking toward the 2026 season, bolstered by a contribution from a Native American tribe to secure future farm matches. Whether they are saving seeds, organizing volunteers or selling crafts to fund the next harvest, Jean-Marie and Cory prove that the “power of one” can ripple outward, transforming a patch of grass in Corvallis into an engine for greater food security and community connection.

Tell us about your volunteer role.

Jean-Marie: In 2018, my family bought a one-acre property in Corvallis, Oregon, and started a food justice project named The Farmette Project. We removed a portion of our lawn and started to grow-to-give. We solicited fruit and vegetables from private donors, commercial farms and Oregon State University. We contacted nearby Native American tribes to assess their need and interest. We began delivering food weekly during peak season to local food banks, to free food stands and to Native American reservations. In 2025 we hit our goal of delivering 10 tons of free fresh produce!

Cory: Alongside Jean-Marie, I share in the work of The Farmette Project: growing, harvesting and gleaning fresh fruits and vegetables from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and driving it to our partner’s food distribution center on the coast.

Why is food security so important to you?

Jean-Marie: Fresh food matters. So often people facing food insecurity don’t have access to fresh produce and I can directly impact that with my front yard. I can pick fruits and vegetables from donors and deliver it. It matters to me that beautiful fruit grown in the lush valley I live in flows to the food desert pockets around us, and I have agency to help make that happen. It matters to me that Native American elders and families around us feel seen and have access to this beautiful fresh produce.

Cory: The number of Americans living with daily food insecurity, and without access to fresh fruits and vegetables, is both a national crisis and a needless condition. Ample fresh food is grown in this country to feed us all. Too often there is a lack of connection between food production and food distribution.

What inspired you to get started with The Farmette Project?

Jean-Marie: I’m a social worker by training, and as a young person I volunteered on a Native American reservation. I saw old, low-quality food distributed to people as commodities. It made me want to be someone who gave people the opposite—the freshest, highest quality food. When we landed on our one acre in Oregon, I knew we could start to make this dream come true.

Cory: When we moved to Oregon’s Willamette Valley eight years ago, we were struck by how much produce went to waste each year. Fresh fruit was literally decomposing on the ground because there was such abundance. Simultaneously, the Oregon coast, only an hour’s drive away, does not have the climate to grow fruit and vegetables, and there are numerous communities classified as food deserts. We felt that we could help to connect these communities.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

Jean-Marie: We met our initial goal of delivering 10 tons of free fresh produce, and plan to continue making deliveries in the coming years. We are committed to creating stronger institutional connections between our communities.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Jean-Marie: Building the relationship with the tribe has been the most rewarding part of the project. There is real joy in it. Reaching the 10-ton goal was also great—it has been very fun to see something we set in motion hit its mark.

Cory: The most rewarding part for me is feeling that this project has been a “win” for everyone involved. We get the reward of knowing that we have done meaningful work that is valued by our partners. Patrons who supported our fundraisers knew their money was going to direct action at the local level. Our grower-partners know that the food they are giving is going quickly and directly to where it is needed. Our food-receiving partners know they can consistently offer fresh produce to their clients in summer.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Jean-Marie: I’ve learned that showing up consistently and building relationships are what matters most. We don’t have to wait. We can take action ourselves and enroll people into our vision.

Cory: The volunteer experiences I had as a young person (most notably as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala from 1989 to 1992) were fundamental to shaping decisions I have made throughout my life. I have always known that it is important for young people to have experiences volunteering. The Farmette Project has reminded me that making time to volunteer is still important for people of all ages.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

Jean-Marie: Do what you can, when you can. I did little when my kids were young, and feel lucky to have gotten to design and execute a project based on our own vision in our own time. Volunteering and creating your own service project is such a great opportunity for self-expression.

Cory: Current research as well as popular media are full of studies and stories about how in our modern society, many people feel increasingly disconnected, powerless and depressed. Doing something meaningful, no matter how small, for a cause you care about can serve as a counter to negative feelings.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Jean-Marie: Create what you want to see, and remember you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are thousands of points of light out there showing us how it’s done.

Cory: While there are many great organizations that provide volunteer opportunities, remember that if you don’t have access to an existing opportunity that excites you, you can always create your own. Don’t be afraid to be an entrepreneurial volunteer!

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Jean-Marie & Cory? Find local volunteer opportunities.