High Desert Food & Farm Alliance receives grant funding for three programs
Barney Lerten
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The High Desert Food and Farm Alliance was recently selected through a competitive grant process to receive funding from Travel Oregon. Travel Oregon awarded nearly $6.2 million in grants to 65 organizations across the state, including $120,385 to the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance.
HDFFA said Tuesday it will use this funding for a broad “Taste Central Oregon” campaign, educating visitors and residents about the importance of supporting Central Oregon farmers and ranchers by buying and dining locally, and how and where to find local food.
HDFFA also received funding from Republic Services to support the Grow and Give program. Grow and Give is a 10-year-running HDFFA program that reduces food waste, provides fresh produce for people in Central Oregon experiencing food insecurity, and supports local farmers.
The program works by collecting excess produce and delivering it to partners like NeighborImpact, Family Kitchen, and others, and then reimbursing farming partners for their excess produce, supporting local growers by providing additional income. With the Republic Services’ partnership, this program can continue creating a more resilient local food system.
A grant from The Environmental Center’s Innovation Fund will further enhance HDFFA’s work to reduce food waste by funding a new “Perfectly Imperfect Produce” program that will kick off with delicious food sampling at HDFFA’s Northwest Crossing Farmers Market booth this summer.
“We’re thrilled to receive support from these wonderful organizations,” said HDFFA Executive Director Sharon Maier-Kennelly. “With this funding, we can continue and expand our work in sharing the importance of local food, reducing food waste and building a resilient food system for Central Oregonians.”
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, collaboration, and inclusion. For more info visit hdffa.org