POP Food Market - Farmer Foodshare

Programs

Pennies on the Pound (POP) Social Food Enterprise Development System

Develops, funds and supports food and farm social enterprises that increase access to fresh local food in food deserts or low wealth communities.

The Pennies on the Pound system creates a self-sustaining path to food independence for low wealth communities and individuals by bringing “food, funds and friends” to economically distressed communities interested in increasing the supply of fresh and healthy food in their communities. Our long-term hope for this program area is that this system will create food enterprise jobs in low wealth communities, as well as reduce hunger and malnutrition. The system is community based and relies upon the friendship and collaboration of many community partners, farmers and food enterprises of all sizes.

POP Food Market:

The Pennies on the Pound (POP) Food Market is a social enterprise developed by Farmer Foodshare. The POP Food Market connects limited resource farmers who have discounted excess Grade 1 food for sale with low wealth customers and agencies that increase community food security. We can work with very small scale “one crop” farmers as well as much larger scale farms. We are currently looking for a range of farm partners to allow us to provide a consistent supply of affordably priced North Carolina-grown healthy and fresh food to community organizations.

For FARMERS or NONPROFIT AGENCIES: The POP Food Market launched in Carrboro/Chapel Hill and will be expanding in Spring/Summer 2012 to provide food to customers in Durham and other Triangle locations. Please contact info@farmerfoodshare.org if you are interested in selling on or purchasing from the POP Food Market.

Note: Farmer Foodshare regularly collaborates on funding with our nonprofit partners to help sponsor POP Food purchases and provide fresh food infrastructure support, such as refrigeration.

Working together ensures that the nonprofit agency gets the right food in the right amounts consistently for their programs. Donated food from our Donation Stations can vary in amounts and types of food. Many nonprofit agency partners receive both gleaned food and purchase some POP Food for specific programs that require predictable ingredients, such as cooking programs, healthy food education or community lunches or dinners.

FOR FOOD ENTREPRENEURS: Farmer Foodshare is also working with Self-Help Credit Union, Bull City Forward, Slow Money and other expert partners to create resources, including loans and business mentoring, for social enterprises dedicated to increasing healthy food access in economically distressed communities. Please contact info@farmerfoodshare.org if you are interested in learning more.