Farm to Food Pantry Program Helps Less Fortunate

The Washington State Department of Agriculture works to help connect farmers who can sell their products to food banks and food pantries through the Farm to Food Pantry program.

Program Manager Kim Eads said it helps get healthy food to those in need while providing financial assistance to food pantries who can then cut costs.

“It’s essentially helping farmers navigate how to build those relationships and also actually start selling product. I think so many times we think of farmers as someone we go to when we just want them to donate.”

In Stevens County, one food bank held a fundraiser that made $4,000 in matching funds with the WSDA to buy produce from local farms and there are similar programs in Chelan and Okanogan counties.

Eads said they often hear that, “It really just improves the community itself. They have conversations on why it’s preserve farmland. They start to see the connections.”

The program will expand to Whitman County later this year and Yakima County next year.

Find out more about the program at the WSDA's website.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (590) 547-1618, or e-mail krounce@cherrycreekradio.com.