This summer, something sweet is happening at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. Rows of ripe, sun-soaked watermelons stretch across the fields, planted, cared for, and harvested with purpose by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. But these aren’t just any watermelons, and this isn’t just any harvest. This is the Watermelon Crawl, our signature volunteer event and one of the sweetest ways we fight summer hunger in Arkansas.
More Than a Summer Treat
In a state where 1 in 4 children face food insecurity, access to fresh, hydrating produce can make a world of difference. While watermelon may feel like a simple summer snack, for families relying on the charitable food network, it’s a meaningful addition to daily meals—nourishing, refreshing, and joyful.
Watermelon is:
- Over 90% water, naturally hydrating in Arkansas’s summer heat
- Rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and magnesium
- Full of lycopene, an antioxidant linked to heart health
- Naturally sweet, fat-free, and low in calories
It’s a nutrition-packed fruit with wide appeal, making it ideal for large-scale hunger relief.
For the Alliance, watermelon represents more than nutrition. It represents purpose-driven agriculture: growing food not for profit, but for people.
How It Started
The Watermelon Crawl began in 2010, sparked by a simple question from a fourth-generation farming family in Scott, Arkansas. After each harvest, they noticed thousands of pounds of watermelon were left behind. These melons were too big, oddly shaped, or “imperfect” by retail standards. Instead of letting them go to waste, they asked:
“How can we use this leftover food for good?”
That question launched a partnership with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the first-ever Watermelon Crawl, a volunteer-powered harvest event designed to rescue surplus melons and distribute them through the state’s charitable food system.
What started as a one-time effort quickly evolved. That original grower eventually joined the Alliance team full-time, expanding our ability to grow food specifically for hunger relief. The Watermelon Crawl became an annual tradition and a model for community-powered solutions to hunger and food waste.
Over the years, the event has moved locations: from the original farm in Scott, to Stone Links Park in North Little Rock, and now to its newest home at Heifer Ranch, thanks to a partnership with Heifer USA.
Why Watermelon?
There’s a reason watermelon remains at the heart of this effort: it’s a hunger relief hero.
- Watermelons yield large quantities per acre, making them efficient for impact
- They’re hand-harvested, requiring no heavy equipment, which makes them perfect for volunteers
- Their tough rinds make them easy to transport across the state
- They’re familiar, healthy, and loved by kids and adults alike
In 2024 alone, volunteers harvested more than 60,000 pounds of watermelon, distributed to food banks and pantries in 51 counties. Over the lifetime of the Watermelon Crawl, millions of pounds have been gathered and shared with families across Arkansas.
A Day of Impact and Joy
The Watermelon Crawl isn’t just about picking fruit. It’s a celebration of community, service, and possibility.
Volunteers begin the day working side by side under the sun, gathering melons by the truckload. When the work is done, the real fun begins: cold drinks, shared lunch, and activities like seed-spitting contests, watermelon bowling, and cornhole. It’s sweaty. It’s joyful. It’s meaningful. And it matters.
Join Us This Year!
The 2025 Watermelon Crawl takes place on Saturday, August 9 at Heifer Ranch in Perryville.
Whether you’re coming with coworkers, your church group, your family, or flying solo, we’d love to have you in the field with us. All you need is a hat, sunscreen, and a heart for helping.