First-of-its-kind Fund Provides Families in Need Farm-Fresh Foods from New Farmers Market
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Jun 30, 2009
About Portland Farmers Market
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods Provides Families in Need Access to Farm-Fresh Foods at the New Sunday King Farmers Market through Foodshare Fund Northeast
- First-of-its-kind initiative uses donations from North and Northeast residents and businesses
to attract low-income neighbors to the new Sunday King Farmers Market -
Portland, Ore., June 25, 2009 – The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) with the support of the Portland Farmers Market today announced the launch the Foodshare Fund Northeast, an incentive program to improve the access of low-income residents of North and Northeast Portland to the new Sunday King Farmers Market.
The King Farmers Market, the newest of Portland Farmers Market's five weekly markets, first opened May 3, 2009, through a partnership with NECN, an umbrella organization for 12 neighborhood associations and more than 30,000 households located in inner North/Northeast Portland. The market is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays through September 27, near the intersection of NE 7th Avenue and Wygant Street. More than 4,000 people — twice as many as expected — visited the King Farmers Market on its opening day. Market attendance continues to surpass expectations.
Beginning July 5, 2009, the Foodshare Fund Northeast will enable low-income North/Northeast residents who receive benefits through Oregon’s Food Stamp Program to make their dollars stretch at this new market through contributions from local residents and businesses.
Paige Coleman, executive director of NECN, says, “From marionberries to summer squash, Oregon’s bounty is truly something to celebrate. The King Farmers Market has already become a vibrant celebration of local food in our community. Yet, not everyone in the areas NECN serves is able to enjoy the same access to healthy local foods. For this reason, NECN created this program so neighbors could share with neighbors and increase access to the region’s bounty for North and Northeast Portland residents.”
“We envision Portland as a place where every resident has access to high quality, nutritious, locally grown food, and where farmers’ markets are accessible to all neighborhoods,” says Ann Forsthoefel, executive director of Portland Farmers Market,the nonprofit organization that oversees five weekly farmers’ markets. “NECN efforts to launch the Foodshare Fund Northeast help bring this vision to life. Through it, we hope to see the Sunday King Farmers Market continue to grow, nourish and inspire community.”
How the Foodshare Fund Northeast Works
All five Portland Farmers Market locations participate in the state’s Oregon Trail Electronic Benefit Transfer program, Oregon’s food assistance program. Food stamp benefits are distributed through the state’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system, which allows recipients to receive their benefits electronically by using an Oregon Trail Card at grocery store card-scanning devices just like a debit card.
Instead of having each market vendor decide individually whether to participate in the EBT program and complete the subsequent paperwork, Portland Farmers Market processes all EBT transactions at the Information Booth of each of its five markets, debiting the Oregon Trail Card in exchange for $1 EBT tokens that shoppers can use at vendor stalls.
Despite having the support of government programs like food stamps, many families struggle to put food on the table. Moreover since food stamps are not intended to supply an entire month’s supply of food, and also because fresh, local produce often comes at a higher price, Foodshare Fund Northeast seeks to supplement food stamps with a dollar-for-dollar match. The program’s first-year goal is to provide up to $5 per person per week in matching funds.
For example, Oregon Trail card user purchasing $10 in EBT tokens with an Oregon Trail Card would receive an additional $5 in special FoodShare Fund Northeast tokens to spend with King Market vendors.
Foundation for the Fund - Generous Volunteers and Businesses
The idea for the Foodshare Fund Northeast grew out of a pledge of $3000 by Alberta Co-op Grocery. NECN and its sub-committee, the King Farmers Market Community Advisory Council, decided to match the contribution and turn the generous donations into the foundation for the fund.
The 15-person all-volunteer sub-committee has been reaching out to other businesses, organizations, and individuals in North/Northeast Portland to contribute as well.
“We were so excited to hear that the King Farmers Market was opening in our neighborhood, and wanted to find a way to support it,” says Jocelyn Furbush, marketing manager at the Alberta Co-op. “Investing in affordable access to local food for everyone in the community is a perfect fit with our mission and our cooperative values. We hope that our contribution helps inspire others to participate in this opportunity.”
David Sweet, co-chair of the King Farmers Market Community Advisory Council, adds, “Every dollar donated to the Foodshare Fund Northeast puts fresh, local food on the table of members of our community who are struggling. Plus, the initiative supports our local farmers and enhances our community’s food system. This truly is an incredible program.”
To promote the fund, members of the King Farmers Market Community Advisory Council are distributing bilingual flyers to food stamp offices, affordable housing developments, summer meal sites, libraries, and a range of social service offices. They also staff a booth at the market to publicize the program.
Sweet adds, “As the fund grows, we will look for additional ways to serve our mission of ‘neighbors helping neighbors’. For example, we may be able to raise or eliminate the $5 limit on the match.”
Program Details
The Foodshare Fund Northeast tokens have the same limitations as EBT Tokens. Both may only be used for fruits, vegetables, meats, fish poultry, dairy products and seeds and plants intended for growing food. They cannot be used for non-food items, ready-to-eat foods, and hot foods. No change can be given back by vendors. Unused EBT tokens can be returned to the information booth and credited to the shopper’s Oregon Trail account or used at future markets; however unused Foodshare Fund Northeast tokens cannot be credited back to an account or card.
Increase in EBT Transactions
Either due to greater awareness of Portland Farmers Market’s participation in the EBT program, concerns about food safety, or the combination of double-digit unemployment and increased food inflation, the EBT token program at Portland Farmers Market has experienced a 100 percent increase in the last year.
According to government statistics, more than 90 percent of benefits go to households with either a child, senior, or disabled individual. About 60 percent of people who receive food benefits will voluntarily leave the program within a year as their household conditions improve. During this time of need when the desire to be self-sufficient and provide for one’s family is not always matched by opportunities to do so, having access to nutritious foods can alleviate at least one worry.
Similar Matching Programs
Several farmers markets around the country have created food stamp matching programs. Last year, the Lents International Farmers’ Market in Southeast Portland piloted a match program in the month of July. Food stamp purchases during that month alone accounted for 40 percent of all the food stamp purchases made in the entire five-month season. Other markets report similar results.
Other match programs are supported by a single donor, usually a government agency. Foodshare Fund Northeast alone is supported by the community it serves and represents a unique opportunity for businesses and individuals who are part of the inner North/Northeast Portland community to support food access for people of all income levels.
Call for Donations
Those interested in contributing to the effort financially or through volunteer support are invited to stop by the Foodshare Fund Northeast booth at the King Farmers Market. Donations are also accepted by cash, check or charge. Checks can be made out to the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods-Foodshare Fund Northeast and mailed to 4815 NE 7th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211. Online contributions can be made by clicking the link for FoodShare Fund NE at www.necoalition.org. NECN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, a 501c3 nonprofit corporation In Portland, Ore., is dedicated to the livability of our inner North and Northeast neighborhoods. Building livable communities since 1974, we serve as a gathering place, advocates, outreach service provider, idea and project incubator, and an information conduit connecting community members to resources from agencies and organizations. www.necoalition.org.
About Portland Farmers Market
Founded in 1992, Portland Farmers Market, a nonprofit 501(c)6, brings the best of the country to the heart of the city by supporting the region’s farmers and creating vibrant urban marketplaces where growers and consumers come together. This nonprofit’s staff of four full-time and four part-time employees aims to grow, nourish and inspire the community by staging weekly markets in five different locations throughout the Portland area from March until December. In addition to managing the markets, Portland Farmers Market has been an early leader in Portland’s sustainability movement and has served as an incubator for small businesses. With more than 250 vendors from Oregon and Washington – including farms, bakeries, nurseries, meat and seafood providers, cheese makers and specialty food producers – Portland Farmers Market is a true showplace of Northwest agriculture. www.portlandfarmersmarket.org
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