In addition to the lack of a consistent supply of low fat, high protein meals, there has historically been a serious shortfall of adequate produce available to the homeless and low-income community. Produce, by its very nature, is difficult to handle due to the significant spoilage that happens as a result of ineffective distribution systems. We have always given out food at absolutely no cost to our agency partners. In our early days, agencies used to come to us on different days during the week. What our inadequate distribution program meant for them was simply the difference between usable versus unusable product.
In our previous life, if we got a shipment of bananas on a Monday, the agencies that had pick up days on Monday and Tuesday got good bananas, but those that had pick up days later in the week typically got what might amount to banana bread.
Our Farm Market concept evolved out of that inability of food banks and social services programs to effectively manage and distribute produce.
The Farm Market is driven by an innovative Web-based system that allows hunger relief agencies registered with us to match their needs with fresh produce and other nutritious food. We usually receive produce donations from area food service suppliers and growers as a result of their shortened shelf life. Due to the ripeness of the produce and the need to immediately distribute it, Farm Market moves the produce through our system under a “next-day” approach to help get decent quality produce into the community that desperately needs it, as quickly as possible.
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