Houston’s most vulnerable communities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. Recognizing their added financial challenges, UH College of Medicine and American Heart Association (AHA) joined forces to deliver 100 boxes of fresh food and 100 boxes of toiletries to residents of Cuney Homes and Royal Palms Apartments. All the food was provided by The Common Market.
In conjunction with the nonprofit, Texas Center for Local Food, in Elgin, The Common Market Texas is delivering thousands of pounds of local produce safely packed in individual boxes. The nonprofit is selling the food boxes; consumers are receiving vegetables and fruit chosen by Central and South Texas farmers. What's inside the box changes every week. The money goes directly to family farms, many of which are hurting due to the coronavirus.
"Houstonians who are more concerned about social distancing or want a more personal connection to their food should consider purchasing directly from a local farm. Sure, it’s great to know what produce is available or how it was grown, but buying directly from a local farm allows people to know who grew their produce."
"Due to an increase in student meal participation, all AISD cafes will now offer local, grass-fed ground beef from Augustus Ranch in Yoakam, Texas."
During Farm to School Month, Galena Park ISD highlighted the partnership between the schools and The Common Market Texas. Students learned about local agriculture and were exposed to tasty, local goodness.
"Issues like healthy food access were exacerbated by Harvey. One major reason we endeavored to expand our organization to Houston was to play a role in spurring new markets for Texas farmers so they are not cut out from doing business with these large food buyers. Public institutions don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to enjoy local, fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables, and we are facilitating that connection.”
"Urban Harvest is partnering with Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council and The Common Market to create and run the market, which is located in an area where fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthful whole foods are difficult to find."
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sunny Perdue announced that Houston local food distributor The Common Market Texas received a $500,000 grant as a 2018 awardee of the Local Food Promotion Program.The Common Market Texas will use the grant to invest in local family farms, helping them to earn certifications in food safety and sell to wholesale customers in Houston such as hospitals, schools, universities, or restaurants.
$13.45 million is directed to 44 projects to support the development and expansion of local and regional food businesses to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets through the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP).
"...Another kind of market has hit the town to make sure Texas eats what Texas makes. The Common Market, known in the policy world as a “food hub” has just opened for business in Houston."
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.
"Being able to connect to a distributor and an organizer like The Common Market - that allows us to reach a local food producing community in a major way - is for us, a dream come true."
— Lucy Kerman, Ph.D., Vice Provost, University and Community Partnerships, Drexel University