GOLDEN, CO, June 10, 2024 - GoFarm, a local 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to local food, local farmers, and food access, is pleased to announce the start of its Local Food Share season on June 10th.
“This year, GoFarm is celebrating 10 years of training and supporting local farmers, connecting communities with local agriculture, and making healthy, locally-grown food affordable and accessible to all Coloradans. In 2015, we launched our Local Food Share program with 20 farmer partners, 100 members, and 1 distribution site. Since then, we have grown dramatically, providing a viable market channel for 80+ farmer partners and serving 800+ members from 3 distribution sites.” – Virginia Ortiz, Executive Director at GoFarm.
The Local Food Share program engages hundreds of Coloradans annually. It’s similar to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) model that connects local farmers with residents who are looking for fresh, locally-grown produce. Participants in the program sign up for a weekly or biweekly share of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and in return, farmers receive support and a guaranteed market for their crops.
Folks can purchase a Local Food Share at any point during the 20-week season. With weekly and biweekly options, shareholders have flexibility in how often they get fresh veggies. In addition to vegetable shares, GoFarm also offers add-ons, including fruit, coffee, microgreens, mushrooms, eggs, bread, and flowers. Fresh juice and tempeh are new add-ons this year!
“I’m so excited for this season because we have a lot of new incubator farmers that have joined the farming community. I can’t wait to see what they are able to produce and hear how their farms are coming along! I’m also very excited for the tempeh share – it will be our first protein source to join the add-on list!” – Sarah Berger, Value Chain Coordinator at GoFarm.
GoFarm’s Local Food Share (LFS) program is unique in many ways. Throughout the season, GoFarm continuously shares educational resources such as recipes, storage and preservation tips for produce, and information about where their food is coming from. Local Food Share distributions are fun weekly gatherings for the community – there are often food/farming-related trivia questions and sometimes food demonstrations, showing how to use seasonal vegetables.
Unlike a CSA, the LFS program sources food from and supports several local Colorado farmers. Many of the farmers LFS works with have gone through GoFarm’s farmer training program. This partnership is a great way to make sure these beginning farmers can get their farm business off the ground in their first few years of farming and beyond.
“Since I am able to purchase from multiple farms, there is a higher chance of having the full spectrum of in-season produce and a higher chance of receiving familiar crops. When one farm experiences crop failure due to weather conditions, it’s likely that another farm will have the produce that I’m trying to source. I also love that GoFarm sets up its distribution market style with bins of each item so the community gets to select which specific piece of produce they want in their kitchen.” – Sarah Berger
GoFarm partners with local food pantries and operates a Mobile Market (Chuck the Truck) that offers food using a flexible pricing model in areas where there are greater barriers to accessing local food. Coloradans participating in the Local Food Share program aid in funding and supporting efforts to make food more affordable and accessible in our community. GoFarm welcomes SNAP payment, participates in Double Up Food Bucks, and offers 50% discounts for eligible households.
“The best part of this program is sharing the amazing local food with our community and seeing families and children so excited to try new recipes. We love getting to build community, seeing them every week, growing and always sharing recipes and ideas! Some of our community members have been part of this program since 2016, and we are always looking for ways to grow and support our local food system together!” – Johana Bravo, Director of Local Food Share Program at GoFarm.
Folks can find more information and sign up for a Local Food Share at: www.gofarm.org/seasondetails
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About GoFarm (www.GoFarm.org):
GoFarm is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen the local food system and build healthier communities. Its mission is to increase the supply of and access to affordable, fresh, healthy, local food in Colorado. It fulfills this mission by running three programs: 1) Local Food Share - a multi-farm CSA where participants receive a full season of local, sustainably-grown food; 2) Community Food Access - making healthy, local food more affordable and accessible through partnering with community organizations to address food insecurity at a systems level; 3) Farmer Development and Support - supporting existing farmers and helping aspiring farmers start their own farms.
Media Contacts:
Alyssa Sporrer
Marketing and Events Coordinator
720.449.6737
Virginia Ortiz
Executive Director
303.656.5482
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