High Desert Food & Farm Alliance collects over 26,000 pounds of local produce for food pantries

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In 2022, the High Desert Food & Farm Alliance team achieved their annual goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of local produce for food pantries and hunger relief organizations in Central Oregon. HDFFA, with the support of the volunteer community,  continued beyond this goal to gather fresh food from local farms and markets, ending the season at a total of 26,397 pounds of local produce.

Through HDFFA’s fresh food drive program, Grow & Give (www.hdffa.org/growandgive ) Central Oregon farmers, gardeners, and community members can donate the nutritious locally grown food that is in high demand, but often hard to find, at local food pantries. This program has been in operation since 2016, with all donated produce distributed through NeighborImpact Food Bank to their 55+ food access agencies throughout Central Oregon.  

HDFFA has collected 130,000 pounds of produce from Central Oregon farmers since 2016, which is enough food for 108,000 meals for those experiencing food insecurity in the Central Oregon community. 

HDFFA is thankful for the 20 farmers and nonprofits that donated to the program this year, as well as the dedication and hard work of our volunteers who participated in the 26 on-farm harvesting events to gather produce from the fields. This is the second-largest collection amount in a single season since the program began in 2016.

Grow & Give would not be possible without Central Oregon farmers. HDFFA Partner Farmers who contributed to Grow & Give in 2022 include:

4 Acre Farm

Boundless Farmstead

Central Oregon Veterans Ranch

Casad Family Farms

Cultivate Farms

Deschutes Canyon Garlic                   

Fibonacci Farm

Fields Farm

Rainshadow Organics

Rooper Ranch

Seed to Table

Stumpmunk Farms

Sungrounded Farm

Well Rooted Farms

Whispering Prayer Ranch

Zajac Farms

In 2020, HDFFA began paying Farm Partners for fresh food donations as a way to offset economic and market losses from COVID-19. In 2021, HDFFA decided to make these reimbursements a permanent part of Grow & Give. Thanks to funding from Deschutes County ARPA and the United States Department of Agriculture, HDFFA was able to increase the wholesale reimbursement prices to account for market changes, offering farmers 10% more per pound for produce donated to Grow & Give.  Eleven HDFFA Farm Partners opted to be reimbursed for their contributions to Grow & Give this year, totaling $22,530.

For more information on how to become an HDFFA Farm Partner in 2023, visit HDFFA’s website (https://hdffa.org/join-our-network/).

Thank you to the Partners, funders, and volunteers who make this program possible. Funding for HDFFA’s Grow & Give Program is supported by the Community Food Projects Grant #2021-33800-35848 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Northwest Farm Credit Services, The Roundhouse Foundation, and the Deschutes County Discretionary Grant Program.

Want to volunteer with Grow & Give in 2023? Visit hdffa.org/volunteer to find out how!