Support Your Vancouver Farmers Market

The Impact

The combination of a delayed opening, market closures, reduced vendor spaces and increased safety measures have left the Vancouver Farmers Market facing a large deficit.

In 2020, the VFM is facing a loss of over $200,000. The market receives no outside or governmental funding to support its operations, in fact, the market pays to be able to operate on a weekly basis. The VFM was also not eligible for most of the COVID Relief programs available to many organizations. Still, as a small, self-supported non-profit, the VFM helps create over 650 jobs for small businesses and provides over $120,000 in food access support to the most vulnerable in our community.

 As we look to the future, it is clear that Southwest Washington will see an increased need for food access and local farmers and food producers will desperately need support, reliable sales channels and access to customers.  With your help we can continue to provide these important resources to our community and our local businesses.

$22,600 IN COVID-19 RELIEF GRANTS

In partnership with The Ed and Dolly Lynch Fund and with generous donations from the community, the Vancouver Farmers Market Foundation provided immediate assistance to market vendors with $22,600 this year in small grants to offset the impacts of COVID-19 and help them acquire PPE, supplies and equipment to safety sell at the market.

ONLINE ORDERING. CONTACTLESS PICKUP

In response to the rapid spread of coronavirus, with the help of The Ed and Dolly Lynch Fund and the Gregerson Family Fund, we created an online market with contactless curbside pickup to provide added sales channels to local businesses and offer customers the safest way to shop. Since May, this platform has served over 600 customers and put over $100,000 into the pockets of VFM vendors, the majority of which were small local farms.

WILDFIRE RELIEF

With support from IQ Credit Union, Rally Pizza, Kafiex Roasters, IamThai Eatery, and generous community donations, we provided $4,750 in emergency grants to support our farmers who were forced to evacuate and lost crops due to smoke damage in recent wildfires.

PRODUCE DONATIONS

In partnership with the Clark County Food Bank, we collect produce and other food donations from vendors and customers at the market each weekend. Gleaning helps remove food from the waste steam and feeds those who need it most. In 2020, we have already gleaned and donated over 12,000 pounds of fresh food. Twice a month, the Vancouver Bike Club uses "pedal power" to deliver the haul!

DOUBLE THE SPENDING POWER!

In 2020, the Vancouver Farmers Market matched SNAP customers up to $20 a day for fresh fruit and veggie purchases. We processed over $70,000 of food access support for SNAP customers and $50,000 in assistance to young families and low income seniors, helping to stretch their food budget in these difficult and uncertain times.

IT'S A VOLUNTEER EFFORT

The market significantly grew its volunteer program in 2020! 56 dedicated community members contributed nearly 1,000 hours over the course of the season to ensure the market could remain a safe place to shop.