High Desert Food and Farm Alliance expans fresh local food access in Madras
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The High Desert Food & Farm Alliance, a regional nonprofit serving Central Oregon, is proud to announce the expansion of its Fresh Harvest Kit program into Madras, thanks to generous support from Republic Services.
With this grant support, 20 ready-to-make meal kits will be distributed every week for 20 weeks, totaling approximately 1,600 individual meal servings over the course of the program.
HDFFA believes that everyone deserves access to fresh, high-quality food, and Fresh Harvest Kit distribution is a key component to fulfilling that mission. Each kit includes a recipe (available in both Spanish and English), a spice packet from Savory Spice, pantry staples provided by the partnering food pantries, and fresh, seasonal produce sourced directly from local farmers and ranchers.
Not only do the kits provide essential ingredients, but they also empower recipients to create wholesome, nutritious meals at home. Expanding this program to Madras represents HDFFA’s commitment to ensuring everyone has access to good food.
Les Weidner, Madras Community Food Pantry’s Operations Manager, noted the Fresh Harvest Kit program has been very well received.
“Some of the comments have been: ‘I never buy lettuce because I can’t afford it, but the Fresh Harvest Kit includes it!’; ‘It’s cool to get all the ingredients to make a meal because I would never do it on my own,’; ‘This introduces new vegetables to my family that I would have never bought on my own!’ and ‘I know this sounds silly, but this makes me feel 'rich' -that I can bring one of these kits home to my family.’”
Wiedner also says, “Personally - I’m so impressed with Virginia and Augustine at Four Acre Farm. Each week they hand me the most beautiful, clean produce I’ve ever seen. It’s all bagged or bound separately so that when I get back to the Pantry, all I have to do is drop them into the kits. They’re so nice to talk with as well. It’s an awesome experience.”
Fresh Harvest Kits are distributed every Wednesday from 10 am - 1 pm at the Madras Community Food Pantry (49 NE 12th Street Madras, OR 97741) through October 16, 2024 on a first come, first serve basis to any shoppers at the pantry.
As part of its ongoing efforts to support local agriculture and increase food access, HDFFA celebrates this milestone made possible by Republic Services. For more information about HDFFA’s food access programs, agricultural support programs and how to get involved, visit hdffa.org.
HDFFA is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties as well as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. HDFFA’s mission is to support a healthy and thriving food & farm network through education,
