Many folks hear about HDFFA and what we do from a friend, by stopping by our booth at the farmers market to learn about our programs, or someone pointed them towards our Annual Food & Farm Directory to connect with locally grown, raised and crafted foods. Like seeds being planted each spring, these conversations and connections are vital to raising awareness about what we do and the role we serve here in Central Oregon.
But sometimes we just want to shout from the rooftop about the amazing folks we get to work with and the collective impact we have in increasing food access for our neighbors in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson County! We are proud of our programs, and our ability to share resources and opportunities is amplified due to the amazing support of our generous media sponsors: KFXO – News Channel 21 and Bend Radio Group.
As Platinum Sponsors of HDFFA, their support helps us communicate our belief that everyone deserves good food and that our food connects us to each other with broader audiences throughout the tri-county area of the High Desert. These partnerships bolstered our ability to see the following impact through our programs in 2020:
- 13,425 lbs of fresh food collected through Grow & Give and donated to the regional food bank, an equivalent of 11,000 meals
- Continue offering our fresh produce prescription program, VeggieRx, in Bend, Redmond and Prineville with 188 participants and 479 impacted overall.
- Provided 775 Fresh Harvest Kits (pantry staple items, farm fresh food, recipes, spices and bags) to local area hunger relief agencies increasing availability of fresh produce by 1,871 lbs to community members.
- Invested over $25,000 in local farms through our Agriculture Support Programs.
- Distributed our 9th Annual Food & Farm Directory as part of our regional marketing campaign to foster relationships between agriculture producers, farmers’ markets, local restaurants, institutions, grocers and consumers to 27,000 households.
- Purchased $22,000 direct from farmers for VeggieRx in 2020
- Secured $12,500 in grant funds to reimburse farms for donations, offsetting COVID-related lost sales.
Hats off to everyone at KFXO and Bend Radio Group for their continued support of HDFFA – we appreciate you!
