Grow & Give
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Grow
A row of carrots or donate surplus zucchini
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Purchase
Farm fresh food and donate at our booth
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Donate
Donate $$ and we will purchase produce
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Distribute
Produce to NeighborImpact
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Complete
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The Program
Our fresh food drive, Grow & Give, is the only program of its kind in Central Oregon. HDFFA collects fresh produce from local farmers, gardeners and community members to improve accessibility at our regional food pantries. All the produce is donated to NeighborImpact food bank, and to date, has supplied over 46,000 pounds of food and serves over 30% of the food bank’s clients.
We provide two opportunities to participate in Grow & Give:
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Donations are collected during the summer at our booth hosted at two farmer’s markets
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Volunteers (sign up!) can glean excess produce from farmer’s fields (spring – fall)
Here’s how it works
HDFFA hosts booths at the downtown Bend Farmer’s Market and NW Crossing Farmers Market where people an donate fresh food.
- Visit our booth
- Donate $$ and we’ll purchase produce from farmers
- Buy fresh food at the market and donate at our booth
- Gardeners donate their extra bounty
- Farmers donate extra produce at the end of the market
Where Does the Food Go?
All donations are provided to NeighborImpact (the food bank) for delivery to 46+ hunger relief agencies and families in their network. Currently, our program serves 30% of the food bank’s clientele.
“This donation program is a triple win: farmers market shoppers can donate $5 to HDFFA and are entered to an end-of-season gift basket from local farmers; HDFFA supports our local farmers by purchasing their fresh food at retail prices; and food bank patrons receive locally grown fresh food at the pantry.” -Jane Sabin Davis, Program Manager
Gleaning at Local Farms
Consider helping us harvest excess produce from farmer’s fields spring, summer and fall. Sign-up to volunteer and HDFFA will take you to our partner farms to glean produce, which is then delivered directly to NeighborImpact.
All gleaners are welcome to take food home.
Gleaning – Info for Farmers / fruit tree owners / gardeners
Do you have a surplus crop? Are you interested in donating extra food to the food bank but don’t have the labor to get it out of the field? We are here to help. Give us a 2 week minimum heads up that you want us to come and glean. Contact Meiko for details on requisite poundage or to schedule a gleaning event on your farm.
Contact Info
Meiko Lunetta
meiko@hdffa.org
541-390-3572
Participating Farmer's Markets
Downtown Bend
HDFFA booth
Summer 2018
Wednesdays, 2pm-6pm
Northwest Crossing
HDFFA booth
Summer 2018
Saturdays, 10am-2pm
Redmond
Market Manager booth
Summer 2018
Tuesdays, 3pm-6pm
Other Donation Locations
If you missed us at our booth, you can donate to your to a local food pantry. Many pantries and kitchens gladly accept fresh food donations directly from community members. Learn when and where to donate with this resource! Please contact them before you donate.
Get Kids Involved!
We are pleased to announce a collaboration between HDFFA, Northwest Crossing Farmers Market and First Interstate Bank. During the farmers market season, children 17 and younger who open a new minor savings account at any First Interstate Bank location in Bend will receive $10 in donation bucks for fresh veggies and produce. Children can experience the powerful act of paying it forward by taking their donation bucks to the HDFFA team located in the heart of the Northwest Crossing Farmers Market. HDFFA uses these donation bucks to buy fresh produce for the food bank. Read more about this exciting initiative here.
