Times Photo by Kevin Dietsch Jen Burkett, shown with her horses, Cara and Nada, displays some of the produce she receives from Provident Organic Farm in Bivalve.

SALISBURY -- For Jen Burkett, who works as a horse riding instructor at Fox Hill Farm off Nanticoke Road, organic foods have long been an important part of her diet.

But when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor last fall, her capacity to work was limited and so was her ability to afford expensive produce.

Now, because of a new charitable initiative at Provident Organic Farm in Bivalve, Burkett has been able to continue eating healthy as she endures rounds of chemotherapy. "It's been important to my personal healing," she said.

The Medora Harvest Fund is part of an effort by Provident Farm organizers to reach out to the community by collecting donations that will provide lower-income families with a weekly supply of organic vegetables.

Farm organizers work with local nonprofit agencies in the region to identify needy families.

Farmer Jay Martin launched his community-supported agriculture project three years ago, with his membership growing from about 70 in its first year to more than 120 Eastern Shore families today.

The group started its Share the Harvest fund last year and has renamed the initiative in honor of 23-year-old Medora Cockey, who died in January of autoimmune hepatitis.

In May, a group of Peninsula Regional Medical Center doctors donated $500 to the harvest fund in honor of Cockey.

"Medora loved organic farming and worked several summers on organic farms in Virginia and Georgia," said her father, Dr. James Cockey.

Provident Farm is a community-supported agriculture operation in the image of a tradition started in post-World War II Japan, where members share the risks and rewards associated with farming.

Shareholders pay $550 and receive freshly picked organic vegetables each week from May to November. Farm volunteers earn a $100 discount. The 14-acre farm grows a variety of produce, from broccoli and asparagus to watermelon and sweet potatoes.

Burkett, who began volunteering at the farm last year, said she always looks forward to deliveries of fresh squash, tomatoes and beans.

"I love the farm," she said.

For information about Provident Farm, call 410-860-9850.

Reach John Vandiverat 410-845-4656 or jvandive@salisbury.gannett.com.