Several preschools have recently banded together to form a “farm to preschool” co-op, led by a partnership between Open Hand Atlanta and The Common Market Southeast. Twice a month, Open Hand delivers fresh produce from The Common Market to participating preschools, along with educational materials.
“How do we ensure that students are accessing the highest quality food in schools and how can we make it really easy to do that while simultaneously supporting growers that are in the students’ communities?” said Rachel Terry, national partnership director with The Common Market.
Small and urban farms are flourishing after helping Georgians weather the COVID storm.
“It does feel like this type of work has a mission, a community aspect and a human significance.”
“For the past 3+ years, Corey has been a pivotal, behind-the-scenes player in ensuring our fresh, nutritious food reaches our food service teams, students and partners alike safely and smoothly. His contagious positive attitude, resilient spirit, and direct action ensures safe, clean, beautiful food gets picked up from our farms, gets inspected for safety and quality, and ultimately reaches our region's schools and beyond.”
In part 2 of this series, Bill Green discusses The Common Market’s mission to connect communities with good food from sustainable family farms. They strive to improve food security, farm viability and community and ecological health.
When the Common Market Southeast began producing USDA Farmers to Families Food Boxes, they were able to hire 34 additional people to work on their production lines, and as drivers. The Food Boxes provide farm fresh produce to create thousands of meals each week. Currently, the distributor is producing 15,000 boxes a week.
"Through this new mushroom box that he created, he was able to sell mushrooms through The Common Market’s partnership with the USDA on their Farmers to Families Food Box program to distribute 15,000 boxes of food throughout Georgia and Alabama."
"For the farmers, it’s been a win-win – providing support for those in need while also providing an opportunity to keep their farms afloat. 'Seeing our shiitake mushrooms reaching local communities warms our hearts and makes us proud of what we do every day,' shared Howard Berk of Ellijay Mushrooms, a mushroom farm located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. 'The Common Market has given us a lifeline in these uncertain times with the opportunity to supply our mushrooms in the USDA farm boxes.'”
The Bugg Farm works with their partner distributor The Common Market to distribute their products to places that may be nutrient starved. Now, working side-by-side, Addis Bugg and his son Addis Bugg Jr. are caring for their farm and finding new ways to expand their thriving farm business.
"One of those partnerships is a collaboration with The Common Market to provide families with fresh produce boxes weekly until June 24. Made possible through a USDA contract, The Common Market and the Y are connecting vulnerable communities with fresh food from sustainable family farms. YMCA branches are providing 500-900 boxes of fresh produce that are distributed throughout metro Atlanta."
"Farmers, food producers and farmers markets across Georgia are motivated now more than ever to increase public access to nutritious, immune-boosting food, but they will need help to plant, harvest, and shift to new models for selling and distributing their produce."
"The Common Market has been wonderful to work with. Not only is the customer service great but the products are also."
— Derick Smith, Culinary / Culinary Purchaser, Cancer Treament Centers of America