"In 2020, The Common Market, a Philadelphia-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) grantee, found a way to distribute 1.1 million emergency food boxes and at the same time support the viability of 132 family farms.
'This work develops a degree of mutuality and respect between urban and rural people,' Johnston explains. 'We’ve built relationships in every kind of community, with every kind of people you can imagine.'"
"Bridgeton Public Schools are also working to increase local partnerships. This work is a continuation of a project that has been underway since the implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision – a program that allows schools to feed all students breakfast and lunch for free – in 2017. The county currently works with local producers The Common Market and Seashore Fruit & Produce. “[We] pride ourselves on being a nutrition hub for our students,” says Warren DeShields, Director of Food Services at Bridgeton Public Schools.
When the pandemic hit, The Common Market was able to pivot quickly and redirect its supply chains to areas of greatest need by leveraging federal and local government emergency food response funding and existing relationships between local growers, community organizations, local government, such as the cities of New York and Atlanta, and their regional food hubs.
"The pandemic has underscored the importance of fostering a more resilient food system. As we near the end of 2020, we’re asking, what are the top policy priorities as we look towards the new year and the new administration? This podcast looks closely at the connection between federal policy and local food. Hear from experts, including The Common Market co-founder Haile Johnston, about their proposals for forging more holistic government contracts that prioritize regional, independent and sustainable farms; deferring principal payments on Farm Service Agency loans as a means to support native farmers and stimulate tribal economies; and passing the RESTAURANTS Act to help independent restaurants make up for lost revenue.
The Common Market began its partnership with The American Heart Association in Greater Houston in May 2020, with a goal of providing fresh foods and educational resources to individuals living within Houston’s Complete Communities areas, a collection of 10 underserved neighborhoods. Funding for the produce and distribution span various sources, including Northern Trust and other foundations, and local donors committed to providing healthy food access to disadvantaged communities.
"Middle Ground Farm is one of 40 small producers that The Common Market Texas partners with to deliver high-quality, local food to communities. We are so proud to work with new and beginning farmers to really scale up what the local food movement can bring to communities here in Texas.
Farm to School partnerships really help kids understand the importance of choosing healthy options and understanding the impact they're having in the world."
"The organization’s approach offers an alternative pathway to food security, based on shorter value chains, direct distribution, and fostering closer relationships between farmers and the people they feed. Over its 12 years of operation, The Common Market has moved more than US $63 million in food and invested $90 million into the communities where it works. ...These successes—both economic and social—demonstrate the incredible potential of building responsive and impactful food system infrastructure and creative distribution models."
“Thanks to the partnership with The Common Market, along with other wholesalers, the City of Baltimore is now supplying 95 sites with 20,000 boxes of perishable food per week, totaling over 9.2 million pounds of food over the course of the pandemic,” says Holly Freishtat, Baltimore City Food Policy Director.
Community members know now that they can look to their own community, including small businesses in their neighborhoods, for food access. Restaurants have another outlet to sell food, and farmers do not have to worry about losing years of hard-fought relationships in case additional COVID-related restrictions are implemented. Keeping money local and allowing for community-led solutions creates a resilient system - a system that protects consumers, local economies, and our food future.
"The Community Health team partnered with nonprofits and local organizations to deliver vegetables, fruit, eggs, bread and yogurt to needy individuals and families. A key partner was The Common Market, a national nonprofit that distributes food from sustainable family farms to communities in need."
"We love working with Common Market and consider them a valuable partner. It has enabled us to grow more crops and diversify."
— Curt Fifer, Sales Manager, Fifer Orchards