‘Grow & Give’ program donates local produce to C.O. pantries

The High Desert Food & Farm Alliance recently received two grants to improve their Grow & Give program with the goal of donating 8,000 pounds of food this summer.

Thanks to the generous support of the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and the Schwemm Family Foundation, HDFFA’s Grow & Give fresh food donation program increases the amount of food provided to local pantries and the food bank, NeighborImpact. The program provides everyone the chance to donate fresh food.

Central Oregon farmers market visitors can purchase a bunch of carrots, a head of lettuce or a bag of potatoes and bring it to the HDFFA Grow & Give donation booth.

Patrons also have the option of donating cash to be spent purchasing fresh food from the farmers market.

Gardeners can grow extra produce and drop it off at the Grow & Give donation booth or farmers can off-load extra at the end of market day at the following markets: Tuesdays at Redmond Farmers Market, Wednesdays at Downtown Bend; Fridays at Sisters Farmers Market and Saturdays at Northwest Crossing and Madras Saturday Market.

“I have donated freshly harvested carrots,zucchinisand tomatoes from my garden.Sharing your gardens bounty isone of the easiest and helpful donations you can do for our community.” said Jules Greene

Community members without time to go to the local market but who still wish to help their neighbors can use HDFFA’s Food Donation Tool to find the local food bank or pantry near their home. This informational tool indicates when and where you can easily donate excess garden or purchased produce. Go to www.hdffa.org/Programs and look for Grow and Give.

HDFFA is passionate about the importance healthy eating and giving food bank recipients the option to choose fresh spinach instead of canned or frozen spinach.

For additional information:http://www.hdffa.org or call 262-424-8481 .

The High Desert Food & Farm Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties. Our organization’s mission is to support a community-based food system in Central Oregon by increasing access to fresh healthy food, supporting sustainable farm land use and fostering relationships among farmers and consumers.