The Common Market in the News

Celebrating Suppliers and Unique Partners During Black Business Month

Aramark Newsroom

To commemorate National Black Business Month in August, Aramark highlights some unique partnerships the company values and nurtures below.

Chefs at several Aramark Collegiate Hospitality accounts in the southeast have been working with Arkansas River Rice, the largest Black-owned rice mill in the U.S., which offers several types of rice grown from local farms.

Aramark first began working with Arkansas River Rice through a partnership with The Common Market, a nonprofit regional wholesale food distributor that connects communities to food grown by local farms.

The Common Market Great Lakes Receives Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Grant

USDA

The Illinois Public Health Institute and the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub have announced their first round of 16 recipients for the Spark and Innovation Collaborative Awards.

The Illinois Public Health Institute and the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub will work with the Spark and Innovation Collaborative Awards recipients throughout the grant period to support school food system and marketplace improvements and promote systems-level change. The Common Market Great Lakes's Spark Award grant project is titled: “Lowering Adoption Barrier to Regionally Sourced Foods in Chicagoland Schools: Exploring Manufacturing, Food Service Operations and Acceptability of Regional Black Bean and Beef Blended Products in School Cafeterias”.

Listen: Building Strong Regional Food Systems

Feeding People Podcast

Eliana Pinilla, Director of Partnerships, Great Lakes Region at The Common Market, discusses with Amy Dolan the need to "connect communities to good food grown by sustainable family farmers." She explains that when institutions get more of their food directly from local farms, the quality of food they serve—and the health and wealth of the entire region—get better. Eliana breaks down how The Common Market helps make it all happen and the vision she has for future generations.

Georgia Farms Fund Crosses 1,000-acre Milestone

Saporta Report

The Conservation Fund’s latest farm acquisition in Chattahoochee Hills pushes the total acreage conserved over the 1,000-acre milestone and is a great example of all that the Farms Fund has to offer to farmers and the community. Along with cropland, pastures and room to expand for our next two farm owners, the 154-acre property also includes forests and wildlife habitat. This work aligns with The Conservation Fund’s role as a member of the Georgia ACRE Collective, a coalition including The Common Market Southeast.

Webinar: ​Getting Started: Local Food for Schools (LFS) New Jersey + The Common Market​

Learn how to get set up and start using your New Jersey Local Food for Schools (LFS) funds today! In this brief, 10-minute informational webinar, Katie Barr, Outreach Coordinator for The Common Market Mid-Atlantic, lifts up how NJ schools and food service can access what is available for order from our local, Jersey farms, what quick documentation is required to become a partner, and how to place your orders for your first local food delivery! The Common Market has composed a special New Jersey ordering guide for your ordering needs. However, be sure to inquire about our full Availability List, which includes options from farmers and producers from across the region (PA, NY, DE, MD, VA)


Farm to School Program a Win-Win-Win for Georgia Students, Farmers and Community

The Citizens

Something fresh is growing at Rockdale County Public Schools. The district is prepped to launch a new local foods pilot program supporting small farms led by people of color, women and others historically excluded from market opportunities while exposing students to more locally grown, nutritious food. The program recently kicked off with new recipe development and nutrition training workshops held Jan. 17-18 at C.J. Hicks Elementary and J.H. House Elementary, celebrating Georgia-sourced fruits, vegetables and meats.

Rockdale County Public Schools launches farm-to-school pilot to expose students to more fresh foods, expands opportunities to minority farmers

On Common Ground News

“We are so excited to support innovation within the RCPS school nutrition department and to honor our state’s small, sustainable growers in the process,” said Emily Hennessee, program manager of The Georgia ACRE Collective. “Through this work, we hope to build the case for statewide adoption of a local food incentive program for school meals across Georgia.”

Black, Family-Owned Georgia Farm, Local Lands, Nabs Funding And Aims To Support 'The Southern Side Of Metro Atlanta'

Blavity

[The Common Market] aims to help local farms provide food to essential institutions such as schools, hospitals, universities, and large-scale government contracts.

“This past year has been very, very good for us,” Asa Ysrael, head farmer at Local Lands, said. “The LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance) program has allowed us to scale up. It gives us security, so we don’t have to worry about if the product gets sold. We can focus on other variables that aren’t controllable. I’m happy about that.”

Local Lands, A Black-Owned Farm, Widens Reach For Georgia Residents To Combat Food Deserts

Black Enterpise

“Historically underserved farmers have long been excluded from wholesale opportunities,” explained The Common Market Southeast Executive Director Bill Green.

“This program builds on the work begun during the USDA’s pandemic-era contracts to engage historically underserved producers, promoting sustainability and equity in local food systems while delivering fresh, ecologically responsible produce to communities.”