"The Local Foods Incentive Pilot is taking off in Bridgeton Public Schools, with farm to school meals providing better nutrition, benefiting area farmers, and boosting the local economy."
"New Jersey may be known as the Garden State but in low- and middle-income towns, getting nutritious food from farm to table is harder than you think, especially for schools. One South Jersey school district is partnering with The Common Market, a nonprofit food distributor that connects farmers with communities, to bring Jersey-fresh fruits, vegetables and meats directly to the lunch table."
If you feel motivated to act, you can support forward-thinking groups like the National Young Farmers Coalition, Common Market, and Soul Fire Farm as they advocate for more equitable and sustainable food and ag policies, or you can contact your representatives directly and tell them what a better food system looks like to you.
"The farm to school pilot’s goal is to provide these school districts with additional incentives, to dream with them about what that will look like, and what products they always wished they could source on their school meal lines, but maybe couldn’t afford to do, Rachel Terry said."
"Bridgeton Public Schools in Bridgeton, N.J., has partnered with The Common Market, a nonprofit food distributor, for a pilot program that brings locally sourced food to students."
"The program established in both districts uses a funding mechanism that eases budgetary restrictions placed on schools, therefore they can purchase locally grown foods with greater nutritional values more easily. While students benefit from filling themselves with nutritious meals, Garden State food suppliers rack up purchases, therefore the program helps improve local economies and business at small, family owned farms, the The Common Market said."
“The district receives weekly deliveries of farm-fresh, New Jersey-sourced fruits and vegetables as a part of a new farm-to-school pilot program that incentivizes the purchases of local foods from family farms,” according to a press release from The Common Market. “The pilot kicked off last month and will run through July."
"RWJBarnabas Health, the largest academic health care system in New Jersey is partnering with The Common Market to address food insecurity in 18 towns across the state from Jersey City to Toms River.
In 2021, RWJBH partnered with The Common Market to deliver Farm-Fresh Boxes of local produce, freshly baked bread, eggs, and yogurt, to RWJBH Hospitals across the state, which interns delivered to local food distribution sites, such as churches and food pantries."
“We need to be able to balance the efficiency with resiliency,” Vilsack said during a panel discussion that featured regional food hub innovator and founder of The Common Market Haile Johnston, California organic farmer Javier Zamora, and Georgia physician-nutritionist Sharica Brookins."
"What else could heal our physical health, our economies, our ecologies and bridge urban and social and rural divides...What else can bring people together in challenging times better than food," Haile Johnston of The Common Market shared.
Our friendly and educated team is here to partner with you every step of the way. Connect today to learn of all the ways to partner with The Common Market.
"Often as a chef and manager, trying to buy local has been at the least a pain. Building a relationship with The Common Market has completely changed that experience. I know that the product I am buying is local down to the farm where it was grown. I am able to let the students know the people who grow their food so that they feel a real connection to those farmers. I look forward to a long and growing relationship with the Common Market."
— Allen Clark, Food Service Director, Sage Dining Services, Mount Vernon Presbyterian School