At Farm Fresh, our mission is to grow the local food system to be sustainable and healthy for both the farmers and eaters in our region. We look for opportunities within our community to increase accessibility and affordability of fresh, local foods to help reduce food insecurity in our state. We do so through farmers markets located in areas with limited access to fresh food, where regional growers and food producers sell directly to the community. We also do so through Market Mobile — a program designed to distribute locally grown products of the Northeast to wholesale buyers like restaurants, grocers, schools and hospitals, and now serves residential customers as well.
Thankfully, we aren’t alone in this mission to help reduce food insecurity. In fact, with the recent development of the Farm to Food Pantry grant, 28 different local organizations and food pantries partnered to purchase locally grown food for those most vulnerable in our community through Market Mobile!
The funds for this program — a substantial total of $175,000 — were generously funded by four outstanding Rhode Island institutions:
- The Rhode Island Community Food Bank
- The Providence Healthy Communities Office
- The Rhode Island Foundation
- The Amica Companies Foundation
These funds allow each of the 28 participating organizations and food pantries to purchase weekly supplies from local farmers and food makers through Market Mobile. Our team then delivers those orders to the food bank and food pantries, supplying nutritious, fresh and local options for people in need.
Food pantries do more than just provide meals. They provide stronger, healthier foundations for those who need it most. With the Farm to Food Pantry grant, we will continue to feed our community while building a strong local bond with the farmers who keep us going. We are grateful to have strong partnerships with organizations that hold our strong core values of ending food insecurity in our communities. And we are thankful to the generous funders for making this possible.
