The Common Market in the News

Serving Georgia

Georgia Grown Magazine

"Many organizations have had interest in purchasing from these growers, but that interest has been on an a la carte type plan. 'That doesn’t bode well for these small growers,' says Green. The LFPA essentially provides them an on ramp to institutional markets – in particular, food service management companies that operate dining facilities for hospitals, universities, public schools, and corporate cafeterias -- by ensuring they have a market for their goods. “It gives them a reason to invest in infrastructure and obtain food safety training and certifications that will allow them to be meaningful in a wholesale market in a sustainable way. It is truly a game changer.'"

Hudson County Officials Cut Ribbon on Innovative 'Food Pharmacy'

Tap into Jersey City

"Hudson County and the three partner agencies have developed on-site food pharmacies, where patients provided food prescriptions can redeem vouchers of $40 for free fruits and vegetables on a bi-monthly basis.

The fresh, seasonal produce will be provided through a partnership with The Common Market, a regional non-profit food distributor whose mission is to provide urban communities with food from sustainable family farms."

Webinar: Leveraging the USDA Local Food for Schools Program with State Level Local Food Purchasing Incentives

National Farm to School Network

This dynamic 60-minute webinar explores the intersection of the USDA Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) and Statewide Local Food Purchasing Incentives (LFPIs). This webinar is divided into three sections, each featuring panelists representing states across the nation. Our very own Eliana Pinilla-Ryhal (representing Illinois) helps paint a picture of how existing LFPIs supported the implementation of LFS and how LFS was used to expand existing LFPIs.

Marietta gets creative with school meals

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Brittani Rowe, the culinary manager for the Marietta City Schools, is unafraid of innovation. “It’s something we thrive on,” she said.

Putting that philosophy into action will be tested this fall when the district’s high and middle school cafeterias introduce a notably kid-scary option: kale. The love-it-or-hate-it leafy green will be one piece of the fresh produce and meat options Rowe and her crew will receive this fall through a $60,000 grant from the Georgia Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience and Equity (ACRE) Collective, a new initiative co-led by nonprofit, regional food distributor The Common Market Southeast and other food and health organizations.

PRESS RELEASE: New Farm to School Pilot at Marietta City Schools Is a Win-win-Win for Georgia Students, Farmers and Community

Something fresh is growing at Marietta City Schools. The district is prepped for a new recipe development and nutrition training workshop that celebrates Georgia-sourced fruits, vegetables and meats—an official kick off to a new local foods incentive pilot program that will support small farms led by people of color, women and others historically excluded from market opportunity within the state and increase student consumption of locally grown, nutritious food.

New Food Pantry called “Feeding Our Future” grand opening takes place Today

CW39 Houston

The “Feeding Our Future” Food Pantry is a result of collaborative efforts between the Houston Housing Authority, the American Heart Association, The Common Market Texas, Fit Houston, Civic Heart Community Services, Sankofa Research Institute, and our other community partners. Its primary goal is to bridge the food insecurity gap for the residents of Cuney Homes, a community within the Third Ward and is one of many upcoming projects HHA and its Community Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) have planned to help revitalize Cuney Homes and the Third Ward community.

Growing the agricultural industry through education

NJ PBS

Raven Santana sits down with farmers and agricultural experts to highlight the top crops in the state, how fresh produce makes it to our schools and the legacy of black farmers in New Jersey. Kenny Bartee from K&J Farms, a Black-owned vegetable farm in Elmer, NJ, explains his farming legacy and how The Common Market has played a role in helping him gain committed markets for his product.

Webinar: Advancing School Food Procurement with Rachel Terry

Urban School Food Alliance

At The Common Market, we’re aware that adopting a values-based approach to school food procurement – one that prioritizes community values, like supporting local businesses or climate, over price – can present unfamiliar challenges for school districts and their food service teams. We also know that once a program is in place, the benefits of local procurement can outweigh the burden of the initial effort it takes to implement. Values-based procurement strengthens communities, contributes to resilient local food economies, and positively impacts student health.

But, how do schools get there? In this webinar, hosted by the Urban School Food Alliance, our National Partnership Director Rachel Terry breaks it down and illustrates insights from our recent resource: “Advancing School Food Procurement: Driving Values-Based Purchasing Through Competitive Solicitation”.

A Fork in the Road: Pecan & Pine

GPB.org

Georgia’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) enables us to buy and distribute healthy, Georgia-grown foods harvested by farmers like our friends at EKC Pecans and create new markets for their products within food banks throughout the state. This program sees nutritious, high-quality, diverse items reaching communities facing food insecurity and drives deeply meaningful revenue for BIPOC farms. This episode of A Fork in the Road features EKC Pecans and how The Common Market Southeast plays a role in creating opportunities for the family-run operation.