Category Archives: King Farmers Market

Support NECN, Donate!

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From the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods:

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

With your participation and support, we engaged thousands of neighbors to work together on opportunities to strengthen the inner Northeast Portland community. And, we even had a couple of fun social celebrations!

Serving as a community resource hub, the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization, supported community members and neighborhood associations as they weighed in on timely and critical issues including the Portland Plan, Urban Renewal Areas, the Education System, City Code, Cell WiMax Towers, Police Accountability, and more. We helped neighborhood-specific efforts too!
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Lunch Box Event for Kids at King Farmers Market

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Portland’s Grace Kuto, philanthropic author, renowned cook, and passionate educator, will help host the “Local Lunch Box,” an educational event filled with activities intended to encourage kids to make healthy, seasonal, local food choices. Kuto will do a cooking demonstration at noon and be on hand to sell and sign her cookbook, Harambee.
School-aged participants can take part in a market scavenger hunt to learn more about good versus bad food choices, learn about a day in the life of a farmer and experience fresh and/or new fruits and veggies. Other planned activities include a drop-in cooking class for children of all ages, nutrition bingo, make-your-own lunch box, and a blind box produce game where children can identify fruits and veggies based on touch and smell.

10 am to 2 pm, Sunday, September 12 at the King Farmers Market, NE 7th and Wygant. Contact Amy Hunter for more information: ahunter@leeweinstein.biz, (503) 927-5872

Portland Farmers Market is generously supported by the Art Institute of Portland and COUNTRY Financial as season sponsors.

Foodshare Fund Northeast Scales Back Program

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news from the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods:

Due to Increased Popularity and Demand, Foodshare Fund Northeast Scales Back Token Matching Program

Beginning August 1, local incentive program will match up to $5 in SNAP funds spent at King Portland Farmers Market instead of $10.
Portland, Ore., July 29, 2010 – The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods Inc, (NECN) today announced the reduction from $10 to $5 in matching funds distributed through the Foodshare Fund Northeast (FFNE) program offered in partnership with the Portland Farmers Market (PFM), the nonprofit 501(c)6 organization, who operates the King Portland Farmers Market held on Sundays in the King neighborhood of Northeast Portland.

Foodshare Fund Northeast, a project of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods – a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to highly inclusive civic engagement and innovative community initiatives in Portland’s inner North and Northeast neighborhoods – FFNE was launched in early July 2009 to increase access to fresh, nutritious food for low income residents of North and Northeast Portland. The successful local neighborhoods project is truly volunteer-driven, community-funded and staff-supported. It also serves as a model partnership between two different organizations, NECN and PFM, where missions are complementary and benefit the greater community.

Funded by individuals and local businesses, FFNE offers a limited dollar-for-dollar match to SNAP participants using their EBT cards to purchase $1 tokens at the King Market. For the first three months of the current market season, the maximum amount was $10 per person perweek, but due to the significant increase in weekly shoppers, that amount has been reduced to $5 for the duration of the market season, which runs through October.

FFNE co-chair and Northeast neighbor Traci Manning shared, “The program has drawn more and more regular shoppers week after week. In filling their bags with local produce and other goods, we’ve been filling a great need in the North/Northeast neighborhood. Unfortunately, it also means that the funds are being depleted faster than we had budgeted.”

She added, “Rather than risk running out of funds before the end of the season, we have decided to reduce the match back to its original $5 level effective August 1. Although we will still need to secure additional funds to get through the full season, we’re confident we will get the necessary support. Our goal is to have excess funds for the start of next season.”

By most measures, FFNE has been a resounding success. Since its inception, FFNE has raised $22,000 from neighborhood associations, local businesses, community groups, and individuals, and has served 2,500 people. NECN’s Board of Directors and its neighborhood associations have generously contributed to the Fund for two years in a row. Prior to the program, EBT customers made up just 1% of market customers. That number has risen steadily since the match was introduced, and EBT customers now account for 6% of all market customers. EBT spending at the market rose from an average of $2000 a month before the match to more than $6000 a month with the match. The fund has also inspired a sister project, Fresh Exchange, which began this year at the Buckman Portland Farmers Market in Southeast Portland.

Oregon ranks number two in the nation for the number of citizens that experience food insecurity (source: OregonHunger.org). In 2009, one in six Oregonians received SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) benefits. Individuals and businesses interested in contributing to FFNE can make an online donation via the NECN website (please indicate that it is intended for FFNE) or send a check made out to the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods-Foodshare Fund Northeast” to: “Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), 4815 NE 7th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211. For further information about the program, contact Paige Coleman, Executive Director at 503 823-3151 or Imani Muhammad, Community Initiatives Coordinator at 503-823-4264. Shoppers are welcome at the King Portland Farmers Market every Sunday through October 31, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It is located at NE 7th and Wygant between NE Alberta and NE Prescott, in the parking lot adjacent to King Elementary School.

Build-a-Burger for Foodshare Fund NE

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Enjoy a fresh, local Burger and Support Foodshare Fund NE! Please join us on the Sunday, 4th of July for “Build-a-Burger!” at King Portland Farmers Market. Get a $5 meat or veggie burger fresh grilled at the market from 11 am – 1 pm. The market is situated beside a park with play equipment, making for a perfect holiday picnic.

Foodshare Fund Northeast, a project of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), is in its second year of providing matching funds for our neighbors using food stamps to buy fresh, local food at the market. Nearly one in five Oregonians is now receiving food stamps, 39% of them children.

This year, in response to a growing and urgent need, we’ve expanded the program. Foodshare Fund NE provides funds from our community — businesses, community groups, neighbors — to match food stamps spent at King dollar for dollar, up to $10 per week. Last year, the average match was $234 per Sunday. This year it has risen to $1000 per Sunday. Help us meet our goal to run this project through the full season until October without running out of matching funds.

Please join us and celebrate July Fourth with a Burger!

If you can’t be there but would like to donate, you can do so at the market every week at the NECN info booth, on-line through PayPal at www.necoalition.org (specify “Foodshare Fund” in comments), or by mail, 4815 NE 7th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211-3939.

Many thanks!

Paige

Paige S. Coleman, Executive Director
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods

Build-a-Burger to Fight Hunger

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Photo by Kenneth Aaron all rights reserved

The King Portland Farmers Market is in full swing Sundays from 10 am until 2 pm at the King neighborhood facility, NE 7th & Wygant.

Foodshare Fund Northeast, a project of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), is also in full swing. For our second year we are providing a matching funds for our neighbors using food stamps to buy fresh, local food at the market. This year, in response to a growing and urgent need, we’ve expanded the program. Nearly one in five Oregonians are now receiving food stamps, 39% of them children. Foodshare Fund NE provides funds from our community — businesses, community groups, neighbors — to match food stamps spent at King dollar for dollar, up to $10 per week. Last year, the average match was $234 per Sunday. This year it has been $896 per Sunday.

Foodshare Fund NE is privileged to be able to support our neighbors during this time with fresh, local food and to support our local farmers and food system. If you’d like the opportunity to help, contact us at traci17@comcast.net or through our Facebook page “Foodshare Fund NE”. If you’d like to donate, you can do so at the market every week at the NECN info booth, on-line through PayPal at portland.necoalition.org (specify “Foodshare Fund” in comments), or by mail, 4815 NE 7th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211-3939. More information is also available on the Portland Farmers Market site, portlandfarmersmarket.org “Healthy Food for All”.

Join us! at King Portland Farmers Market Sunday, the 4th of July for Build-a-Burger! Get a $5 meat or vegie burger fresh grilled at the market from 11 am – 1 pm. 100% of proceeds benefit Foodshare Fund NE.