Over the past few weeks, with help from volunteers in the community and the Community Food Assessment Advisory Committees, a "Dot Survey" has been conducted at public events around the region. In order to reach a larger audience this short, four question survey is now available online.
Help get the word out!
Post this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/communityfoodsurvey on your website, blog, or send it to family, friends and co-workers through listservs and email.
Central Oregon Locavore is an organization dedicated to creating a healthy and vibrant local food market and local economy in Bend, OR.Our website is www.centraloregonlocavore.com.
For Consumers:
Central Oregon Locavore is an online local food marketplace where you can purchase direct from local farmers from the convenience of your own home, office, car, while on vacation, from an airplane, or pretty much from wherever these days.... All of the farmers/producers featured on the website at this time are based in Central Oregon. Our goal is to support and strengthen our local economy and food resource network.
We will begin with two-week ordering periods and as volume increases we will progress to weekly ordering periods. You will soon be able to purchase local items using the Central Oregon Locavore website (once the farmers/producers upload their products). To shop you will place items in your cart, check-out, pay using a credit or debit card (secure server) and recieve a reciept. The farmers/producers will receive your orders and on delivery/pick-up day they will deliver the items to the "drop-point" at the Cascade Living Water Store, located at 2146 NE 4th St (near the main post office in Bend). The employees and volunteers for Central Oregon Locavore will then sort the orders and you, the buyer, will pick them up between 4-7pm on the designated day. Thursdays will be the designated delivery/pick-up day. Please see the calendar (soon to be added) on the website to stay current. The first pick-up event is Thursday April 22nd.
For Producers:
You will have the ability to post what items you will have available each week and the price you want for each item. Rather than receiving many small, individual orders from many consumers, you receive one large order on a weekly basis and drop it off at one location in Bend. This location is commonly referred to as the “drop site”. The site will be located on Bend’s East side at The Cascade Living Water Store (2146 NE 4th Street, by the main post office). This way you can save lots of time and energy, which you can then put back into your farm or business. We will be starting off with every-other week deliveries and moving to weekly once the volume has increased. The first order will be due at the drop site on April 22nd so please get those items posted!
We are describing the site as an online farmers market, very similar to a regular farmers market but without the stand, other related overhead expenses and unsold products at the end of the day.
Getting started is really simple. It’s a matter of registering your farm on our website, providing a short farm or business description, and then adding what products you sell. I will contact you after you register to explain the process and answer any questions you may have.
Those of you located near the border of Wheeler County might be interested in attending this networking event for local food buyers, sellers and producers:
Monday, April 5th 4-6pm Wheeler County Family Services Conference Room 401 Fourth St. Fossil, OR
This meeting will provide food buyers and sellers the chance to network, share information and discuss the upcoming growing season and direct-market opportunities.
Producers and processors of all agricultural products (vegetable, grain, fruit and livestock) are invited to attend, as well as buyers for grocery stores, restaurants, schools, caterers, hospitals, bakeries and other institutions. Please spread the work if you know of anyone in the region that would be interested!
There will also be an opportunity for discussions around other community interests and food projects—gardening, community and school gardens, farmers’ markets, nutrition, educational opportunities, etc.
Seeking Local Food, Farm, Nutrition Related Photos for Inclusion in the Central Oregon Food Assessment Report:
Do you have pictures of our local farms/farmers, restaurants, grocery stores, farmers' markets, food bank volunteers, farm/garden workshops and classes, community gardens, etc. etc. etc. that will help tell the story of food in our community?
If in digital format they can be emailed to sydneyl@neighborimpact.org
With Spring finally here, there are many exciting food, farm and gardening events coming up!
Community Garden Plot Sign Ups
Saturday, March 27th
Get a Community Garden Plot at the Willow Creek Community Garden, Madras 10AM
Willow Creek Garden
NE 10th and B st. Madras
Questions? Contact:
Beth Ann Beamer 460-4023 bbeamer@mvhd.org
Annie Ayres 390-0487 aayres@mvhd.org
Saturday, April 17th
Prineville Community Garden Plot Sign-Up 9am-11am
Prineville Presbyterian Church
1771 N. Madras Highway
Please come and enjoy garden preparation day and
reserve your plot.Small plots are $30 and large plots
$40 for the season.Your fee covers water and soil amendments.
Our garden is organic and some seeds and starts will also be
available for free.
We are in our 6th year and our orchard had fruit last year. We have 40 plots, good water, a secure deer fence, and have worked hard this spring to remove the gophers. The garden is organic and the soil has been well amended.
First come, first served.
No plots may be reserved prior to April 17th.
If you have questions, please call Kim Kambak (541) 771 1923.
Classes, Workshops, and Events
TOMORROW (Wednesday, March 31st)
Vegetable Gardening in Central Oregon Bend Public Library
FREE
5:30-7:30pm
Want to lower your grocery bills? Growing your own vegetables is fun and economical way to help during these tough financial times. Learn how to grow your own healthy produce from Cindy Jeffers in an informative session
Saturday, April 10th
Edible Landscapes 10am-Noon
CHS Garden Center, NW Depot Rd. Madras
Edible Landscapes will focus, on fruit trees. Scott Duggan will teach about soil preparation, selection of trees for Central Oregon and how to protect trees for disease and insects.Bring a coat to take a short outdoor tour and learn about pruning techniques as well. Bring a pair of pruners and give it a try.
To register, call 541-383-7270.
Tuesday, April 13th
Community Food Systems Gathering Ascension School & Conference Center
1104 Church St.
Cove, Oregon
10am-3pm
A gathering of groups and coalitions working to improve community food systems throughout Oregon For more information contact Sharon Thornberry, Oregon Food Bank sthornberry@oregonfoodbank.org
Saturday, April 14-17th
The Small Farmer's Journal Horsedrawn Auction and Swap Meet Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Madras
Free Admission; Charge for Fairgrounds Parking
More info and schedule here.
Saturday, April 24th
OSU Master Gardener Spring Gardening Fair and Garden Market 8am-4:30pm
Redmond Fairgrounds
$10 per class (pre-registration); $15 per class on event day
Special General Session: Gail Langellotto-Rhodaback speaks on Genetically Modified Foods Classes Offered On: Vegetable Gardening, Food Preservation, Raising Chickens, Hardy Perennials, Using Conifers in C.O., Growing Apples, Hobby Greenhouse More info here.
COCC Community Ed Home and Garden Courses More info here.
Saturday, June 5th
Local Food Network Website Launch Environmental Center, Bend
Noon-5pm
For more info email sarahlee.lawrence@gmail.com
Call For Volunteers!
Fields Farm intern, Jeremy Fox has set up a series of farm tours throughout the month of May for local elementary and middle schoolers.
The goals of these trips is to expose kids to who farmers are and where food comes from, as well as have a fun time meeting goats and chickens and greenhouses.
If you're interested in volunteering to give guided tours of the farm for a morning or two contact Jeremy at: zorndylan@hotmail.com
No experience necessary, just an interest is teaching kids about food!
WIC (Women Infants and Children) Fruit & Vegetable Voucher Trainings for Producers
Starting 2010, farmers who sell their fruits and vegetables directly to consumers at farm stands or at farmers’ markets may sign up to participate in the existing Farm Direct Nutrition Program (FDNP) and/or a NEW program called the WIC Fruit & Veggie VoucherProgram.
The Fruit & Veggie Vouchers will not replace the seasonal Farm Direct Nutrition Program Checks that some WIC families and seniors already receive, but will provide an additional benefit for WIC families.
The WIC Fruit & Veggie Voucher Program will operate year-round, thus providing farmers with an opportunity to generate additional income.Potential WIC Fruit & Veggie Voucher sales, including those from WIC-authorized grocery stores and farm-direct venues have been estimated at $8.6 million per year for the state of Oregon.
All farmers who want to accept the new WIC Fruit & Veggie Vouchers need to attend a 75-minute “face-to-face” Training Session as part of the authorization process, since the requirements for this program are different from the FDNP Program.
To encourage farmer participation in this new program and to facilitate the authorization process, a WIC Fruit & Veggie Training Session has been scheduled in your area:
Thursday, April 29th
MADRAS
3:30-5pm
Jefferson Co. Health Department
Friday, April 30th
PRINEVILLE
Noon-1:15
OSU Extension Service Office
502 SE Lynn Blvd, Prineville, OR
Saturday, May 1st
BEND
9am-11am
St. Charles Hospital
Training Room "E"
Training room E is located between the volunteer desk and the former health and care store near the front entrance.
For more information contact Kelly Streit at eatsmart@onnutritionstreit.com
Tune in “Right Here, Right Now!” at 5 p.m., Friday, February 19, at 106.7 FM and streaming at www.kpov.org for a local panel discussion on hunger and food security in Deschutes County.
Community panelists in the hour long discussion on hunger are:
Kiecha Kisler, a job trainee in the COIC Jobs Plus Program.
“Right Here, Right Now” airs on the third Friday of each month and features candid conversation on critical local issues by community members, elected officials, and activists in an hour-long roundtable format. The panel discussion is moderated by KPOV volunteer Chris Clouart and produced by Michael Funke with technical assistance from Joe Katroscik and Tristan Reisfar.
The Central Oregon Community Food Assessment is documenting the strengths, needs and opportunities in our local food system. This will inform action to address hunger, support local farms, and improve community health and nutrition.
We need your help to tell the story of the local people who grow, process, sell, and distribute food in our communities.
There are opportunities to interview, write a story or photograph:
·Farmers and Ranchers
·Emergency Food Providers (soup kitchens and food banks)
·Independent Grocery and Restaurant Owners
·Butchers and Processors
·Community and Home Gardeners
If you are interested in getting involved please contact Sydney Leonard at sydneyl@neighborimpact.org (541) 548-2380 ext. 149
Check out these video clips for examples of other youth engagement in food assessments around the country:
Our goal is to improve community food security by engaging community members in a participatory process of identifying the needs and assets of our local food system. The process will yield the information and community input necessary to build comprehensive solutions to local food, farm and nutrition issues.
Over the past few weeks, with help from volunteers in the community and the Community Food Assessment Advisory Committees, a "Dot Survey" has been conducted at public events around the region. In order to reach a larger audience this short, four question survey is now available online.
