Last week we had the pleasure of heading down to the Eugene area to connect with Lane County farmers about how to offer CSA shares at reduced prices through Double Up Food Bucks.
For the past few decades, the Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (previously PAC SAC) has been growing its reach to connect more farmers and more consumers with resources that are helping to make our food system accessible to more members of our communities. During this Info Night, Holly guided Lane County farmers through the PNWCSA mission, how our SNAP and DUFB programs work, and what being a member of the coalition means.
Together with the Oregon Food Bank and the Oregon Farmers Market Association, the PNWCSA Coalition works to move the CSA movement forward on the legislative level, raising funds for the Double Up Food Bucks program and helping to make fresh local foods accessible to SNAP-eligible consumers. Farmers need to get paid for all their hard work, and lower-income families need to be able to access local fresh foods, and that is where our work comes in!
We were so grateful to connect with farmers down in Lane County and enjoy an evening of conversation and good pizza. We met with farmers who grow produce, raise livestock, and run microgreen production, all united by the same goal of feeding our communities, and each with their own ideas and inquiries. Regardless of what type of farming one does, most farmers usually spend morning, day, and night on their farms, so it was really a treat to get everyone together for a night out to map out new pathways forward to an accessible food system where CSA is a household name.
Are you a farmer looking to get involved? Head to our For Farmers page to learn more and don't hesitate to reach out! Together we can make the food system that we need.