FarmFED Co-op Gets USDA $$ Boost
Nonprofit fundraising appeals from The Talking Farm, ILFMA and FACT
In This Issue
• FarmFED Co-op Project Gets Big Lift from USDA Grant
• Consider Donating to The Talking Farm, ILFMA and FACT
FarmFED Co-op Gets Big Lift from USDA Grant
Back in July, we were pleased to break the news of the launch of Farm Fresh Express Development Cooperative (FarmFED Co-op), located in the central Illinois city of Mount Pulaski. FarmFED is building a processing facility that will enable local farmers to reach consumers with more fresh, local food while increasing their own financial security.
We are even more thrilled to report that FarmFED Co-op is receiving a huge boost from a $239,565 planning grant announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through their Local Food Promotion Program.
According to a Co-op press release:
The cooperative plans to operate a fresh food processing facility that can bring in and freeze bulk quantities of produce grown by local farmers, such as sweet corn, peppers, carrots or broccoli. Farmers can sell to the cooperative or have their product custom-processed.
The cooperative can then sell frozen local produce to local institutional buyers such as schools and hospitals or local retailers, using critical infrastructure to bridge a gap where local farms and larger buyers are currently unable to work together. The cooperative will also operate a licensed commercial kitchen in the same facility to be rented out to local food entrepreneurs.
“We are thrilled to put this funding to use and enter an exciting new stage of the development of our cooperative,” said new manager Cindy Jackson. “Just 32 percent of all proposed LFPP projects were funded this year, so it is a real honor to be able to put our plan into action thanks to this grant. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are now equipped to deliver on what we have been proposing since last year.”
Congratulations to the innovative thinkers behind this important project, and to learn more about FarmFED Co-op, click the button below.
Your Donations Go Far With These Food Nonprofits
As a service to our local food community, Local Food Forum is sharing end-of-year fundraising appeals from nonprofits that do great work promoting a better food system. Today learn about The Talking Farm (and their Giving Tuesday campaign) and Illinois Farmers Market Association (ILFMA). We also are sharing an update of last week’s post about Food Animal Concerns Trust’s Giving Tuesday campaign.
All materials that follow were provided by the nonprofit organizations. If you would like us to include your nonprofit appeals, please email bob@localfoodforum.com with a 1-3 paragraph summary, a link to more information or a donation page, and a graphic promoting your campaign (if you have one).
[Note: This service is provided free to our amazing nonprofits, and is not paid advertising.]
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At The Talking Farm, we grow produce to increase the availability and variety in the community of fresh, nutritious food that they can trust. Our farmers attend our farmers markets and can answer any questions about our produce, and probably harvested it with their own hands.
All of our produce is grown using transparent, organic practices that reduce the use of harmful chemicals. Best of all, it is grown right in Skokie, Illinois at our 2.5-acre urban farm, the Howard Street Farm, and sold just a few miles away.
At The Talking Farm, we aim to be an example to the community by being good environmental stewards and engaging in healthy soil and water conservation practices. By doing and leading by example, we will improve our food system.
The Talking Farm offers a variety of educational programs to teach people of all ages the basics of urban farming, sustainable food systems, plant and soil science, and food production and delivery. Our curriculum includes topics related to sustainability, social justice, and health.
Our programs are customizable and range from one-day field trips to intensive, multi-week Farmhand Certification programs. We work with local schools and organizations to create programs and conduct classes both on the farm and in our partners’ classrooms. We build and maintain gardens and use those living laboratories for hands-on experience and teaching.
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At ILFMA, we love local food, and we love telling everyone of its importance. Click the button below to donate to ILFMA, and your help will ensure the continued vibrancy of Illinois Farmers Markets. A $25 donation helps, and $100 will make a difference.
Bonus: When you contribute to ILFMA, you will receive a Winter Warmers Cookbook, a collection of our favorite wintertime recipes. Thank you - HAPPY EATING LOCAL!
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Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday and your gift to FACT has the chance to be doubled, thanks to three Board members generously matching the first $6,250. Click the button below to donate to FACT.
Here are some of the impactful ways that your gift will make a difference:
$42 enables us to offer free webinars to farmers on humane and healthy animal production.
$75 provides business and financial training to farmers to help their farm businesses thrive.
$275 supports farmers’ efforts to improve their pasture and thus the lives of their farm animals. FACT provides grants to family farmers for projects that enable them to improve or expand access to pasture for their animals.
$550 helps us achieve our goal of Safe and Healthy Food for All: FACT is committed to ensuring that our food is safe and healthy — both for the workers who produce it and the people who eat it. FACT advocates for strong corporate and federal policies to make food safer, including ending the overuse of antibiotics on farms, banning dangerous veterinary drugs, and requiring farms to control foodborne pathogens.
Now is your chance to make twice the impact thanks to our matching gift challenge.