Go Fund Me Link

The Food Bank Farm and Gardens of Jefferson County are continuing a fund raising campaign to purchase two residential size freeze dryers. initially during a pilot project we will be freeze drying only produce grown locally and given to the food banks by grocery stores or other suppliers.

This pilot project will:

• Reduce Waste – The freeze dryer pilot project will help us reduce the amount of wasted food.  Hundreds of pounds of fresh produce and fruit come into food banks during the three months of peak harvest and not all can be given away before it spoils.
• Create a Food Reserve – A freeze dryer will allow us to create a supply of food for winter months, when very little fresh produce comes in.  If fresh produce or canned produce (which has a shorter shelf life than freeze dried) is not available, the freeze dried produce can be distributed.
• Assure a Supply of High Nutritional Value Food – Freeze drying preserves 96% of the original food value of the fresh food, a higher percentage than canning or dehydrating. Freeze drying can also produce a reconstituted product that is more attractive and closer to fresh than canning or dehydrating, or even frozen. Additionally, freeze dried food does not require special storage units or electricity.

Go Fund Me Link

The dryers we plan to purchase are large stainless models from HarvestRight, with a maximum annual capacity of 2,500 lbs. These are commercially rated models (required for placement in a licensed kitchen, a health department requirement). We will gather data during the 2-year pilot project and use this data to plan and implement phase 2, which includes further development of freeze drying locally. One goal of phase 2 is to establish and foster a small business based on freeze drying. Another is to acquire a mobile facility that would provide small batch processing capability (canning, dehydrating, and freeze drying) to small farmers, allowing them to create a value-added marketable product. The mobile facility would also serve as an educational platform for local schools and agricultural extension, demonstrating and teaching food preservation on location.

The cost of the pilot project will be $20,000. The final cost of phase 2 is yet to be determined, but will be in the neighborhood of $75,000.

Your donation will be 100% dedicated to this specific project.

Go Fund Me Link

Updated June 1, 2020

What follows is a letter we received in our email today October 17th!

Congratulations! For the 2019 year we decided to grant the $1070 in funds to the Food Bank Farm and Garden Program based on their alignment with our values and their clearly defined need of funds for two upcoming projects. Our plan is to split these funds to help both projects, one project is to purchase a freeze dryer to save excess fall harvest through the winter and the other is for developing the food bank garden in Chimacum. Both projects help create resiliency and food access in our communities and we THANK YOU for your efforts.

This is our second year and we are happy to be able to provide the community with extra funds to support food resiliency.  We knew this wouldn’t be an easy decision and it most definitely wasn’t.  There were ten applicants this year, a number we hope to grow in the next few years. All applicants fit into our four pillars of community sharing, and all had an honorable mission to achieve.

Our process was as follows.  In early October, a team of five gathered to discuss how we would rate the applicants based on a decision matrix with the following categories – project feasibility, operational need, community need, quality of application, track record, and uniqueness. This year was exceptionally hard as all application had great projects they were working on. 

 Warm Regards,

 Andrea Stafford

Food Co-op Marketing Manager

414 Kearney St., Port Townsend, WA 98368

New bill could help protect sacred seeds of Indigenous People https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/10/13/new-bill-could-help-protect-sacred-seeds-indigenous-people

New bill could help protect sacred seeds of Indigenous People https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/10/13/new-bill-could-help-protect-sacred-seeds-indigenous-people

Dearest Community,
Please join The Community Wellness Project at the annual Harvest Dinner on Thursday, October 24th, in support of garden education, local farm-to-cafeteria and public school nutrition efforts! Hosted at Finnriver by the Community Wellness Project. Tickets can be purchased at jccwp.org

Your tickets and contributions go to supporting school garden outdoor classrooms, community connected learning opportunities and healthy farm-to-cafeteria menu options for both the Chimacum and Port Townsend School Districts.

Creating a foundation of healthy eating in school children supports academic progress and all around well-being.

Hands-on activities in the school gardens gives students a direct connection with the food they eat and not only will improve wellness but also plants the seed of stewardship of the natural world around us.
Please help share the word of our little fundraiser and post to your events calendar!

Sincerely,

Shayna Wiseman, Community Wellness Program