Farm to Community Grower Interest Page
Are you looking to expand your market reach while making a meaningful impact in your community? The Farm to Community program offers you a unique opportunity to establish reliable wholesale contracts with local hunger relief organizations, creating a win-win situation for both your farm and neighbors in need.
Program Benefits for Farmers
-Provides reliable income with up-front payments and pre-harvest contract models
-Reduces waste through donations or gleaning of seconds
-Fosters direct community relationships and strengthens the regional food system
-Increases name recognition
How It Works
- Outreach: Have conversations with potential hunger relief organization (HRO) partners to determine if you’re a good match based on desired products, delivery schedules, etc.
- Establish purchasing contracts: Work together to determine fair wholesale prices, available products, and delivery or pick-up logistics using HAH’s contracting templates.
- Payment: Receive up-front payment in the early season to help pay for seeds, fertilizers, and equipment.
- Get product to HRO clients: Deliver healthy nutrient dense foods to your HRO partner.
Program Requirements
- Ability to meet terms of the purchasing contract
- Consistent communication with your HRO partner
- Have a business license or fill out a Business License Exemption Form
Next Steps
Interested in selling to hunger relief organizations? Fill out the F2C Grower Interest Survey below.
Learn more about current opportunities with WSDA programs: Food Purchasing Resources | Washington State Department of Agriculture
Program Contact:
Olivia Jackiewicz, Farm to Community Program Manager
Benefits to farmers:
- – Fosters direct relationships, helping to embed small farms within community networks
- – Provides reliable income with pre-harvest contract models
- – Reduces waste
- – Aids the growth of regional food systems
- – Increases name recognition
Number of Participating Farms
0
Benefits to hunger relief organizations:
- – Access to fresh, nutrient-dense produce which might otherwise be unavailable
- – Greater variety and quantity of produce
- – Supports sustainable produce purchasing and gleaning programs
- – Food distribution centers can pursue purchasing contract models that work best for them
Number of Hunger Relief Organizations
0
2024 Farm to Community Locations
With the apparent effects of the pandemic funding cliff, funds such as F2FP allowed for us to continue to procure food when in-kind donations have been incrementally decreasing. F2FP ensures a steady and local supply of fresh, nutritious, and oftentimes culturally relevant fresh food offerings!
Hopelink
F2C partner
Press
- From Farm to Pantry, Rotary Magazine, March 2024
- Growing for Good: What’s Next for a Powerful Partnership? | PCC Community Markets, November er 2023
- Growing for Good Cultivates a Future for Local Farms and Food Security | PCC Community Markets 1/10/2023
- PCC Pledges $375K to Support Local Farm, Feeding Program | Progressive Grocer, 1/12/23
- Fresh Produce for All: Connecting small local farmers and food banks | Public Health Insider, 12/23/22
- How a millennia-old practice is feeding people today | Seattle Times, 4/18/22
- PCC Shares Results of 2021 Giving Efforts | Whole Foods Magazine, 3/4/22
- The numbers are in: Farm to Food Pantry continues to make a big impact | WSDA AgBriefs, 11/29/21
- Chef Wayne Johnson on Regional Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Farms and Food at FareStart | FareStart Blog, 10/6/21
- Supporting local farms and community with the Farm to Food Pantry program | Eat Local First Olympic Peninsula, 9/15/21
- Executive Constantine announces winners of 2021 Green Globe Awards, King County’s highest honor for environmental stewardship | King County Executive Press, 4/23/21
- PCC Community Markets Partners with Seattle-Area Nonprofits to Create Farm-to-Food Bank Program | Organic Produce Network, 4/8/21
- Struggling Farmers Work With Overwhelmed Food Banks to Stay Afloat | Stateline, 8/13/20
- Farmers market program funnels fresh produce to local food banks | South Seattle Emerald, 5/4/20
- States are Investing in Farm to Food Bank Programs | FoodPrint, 1/29/20
- Program brings farmers’ produce to food bank shelves | Kitsap Sun, 12/19/19
- Farmer’s Share Program provides hunger relief and agricultural development opportunities in King County | Keeping King County Green, 10/4/19