KNOX — The seed that Pauline Williman planted decades ago has grown and flourished.

On April 20, a gaggle of press and politicians gathered at her family’s farm in Knox to celebrate the Regional Food Bank’s 20 years of working the farm to feed the hungry.

A $1 million federal grant secured by United State Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand was announced. It will support infrastructure improvements at the Patroon Land Farm, which the Food Bank operates and manages.

The 162-acre farm grows food that is distributed across a 23-county region — from the lower Hudson Valley to the Canadian border.

Tom Nardacci, who heads the Regional Food Bank, announced a new Agricultural Hub initiative that will increase food distribution from the farm to 30 million pounds annually, up from 25 million pounds this past year. Greenhouses will be added at distribution sites, and partnerships with local farms will be strengthened.

Pantry-based and mobile farm stands will deliver fresh food to places that need it.

At the turn of this century, after her mother’s death, once the estate was settled, Pauline Williman set up a trust called the Patroon Land Foundation. The farmland was once part of the original Van Rensselaer patroonship under Dutch colonial rule.

She worked with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to grow fresh wholesome food for people who needed it. 

Her mission was rooted in her family’s past. “My parents had so little when I was a kid,” she said. “We ate what we raised on the farm. If people came to the house, no one went away hungry. People were welcomed and offered the best we had.”

She recalled fondly not just sharing scanty goods but sharing work, too. “People worked cooperatively. People would get together to bring in the hay or to grind the oats … We moved from farm to farm.” Her foundation embraces that aspect of Hilltown rural life, too, as volunteers work at the Ketchum Road farm to help with planting and harvesting.

Pauline Williman died in 2019 at the age of 93 but her legacy continues.

“Our partnership with the Regional Food Bank is essential to provide healthy and nutritious food to our neighbors in and around the Troy community,” said Rev. Jerry Ford in a release from the Food Bank, announcing the federal grant and the new hub.

“The fresh produce that our families, children, seniors have access to is delivered right to us from the Patroon Land Farm,” Ford continued, “and the team at the Regional Food Bank has worked diligently with us to identify culturally relevant produce which is vitally important to the people we serve who may not have the time or space to grow these essential fruits and vegetables which represent home and heritage to them.”

“For many of the individuals and families we support, fresh fruits and vegetables are often the hardest foods to afford and access,” said Laura Marx, who directs Comfort Food Community, in the release. “Integrating high‑quality, fresh produce into our food access programs allows us to support better health outcomes, dignity and choice while reinforcing the connection between food security and long‑term wellness.”