At the end of the day, the donation is divided among the five participating farmers at the market, who use that money to purchase fresh produce that was not sold. That produce is then given to the Manna Food Center, which is based in Rockville, Md. Manna Food Center begins to distribute the fresh produce, along with nonperishable items, on Monday mornings to needy families throughout Montgomery County.
“It’s a wonderful program and we’re really proud of it,” said Peggy Molloy, community relations director of Newland Communities, which built the development where the farmers’ market is located. “We would like to see it grow and expand to other markets.”
Customers of the farmers’ market also have the opportunity to make donations — they can donate money or they can purchase fresh produce from farmers and drop it in the Fresh Give! collection box, located onsite. “This is a vital and important program for Manna,” said Kim Damion, director of development for the Manna Food Center. “The cost of fresh produce is often a luxury. Fresh Give! is an innovative way to answer the call to provide families with more food.”
And due to the economic climate, Damion said food donations has become crucial as the need has grown in the last year. For the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 24,814 families in Montgomery County received assistance from Manna.
In FY 2009, 35,498 families were helped, a 43-percent increase from the previous year.
In addition to getting food directly to families, the Manna Food Center also distributes donations to 37 agencies in Montgomery County, such as soup kitchens and food pantries, and through its Smart Sacks program, which provides elementary school children with backpacks full of food each Friday to get them through the weekend.
Through the Fresh Give! program, about 250 pounds of food are donated to the Manna Food Center each Sunday, Molloy said. The program is in its second year, and has been going well so far, she added. Fresh Give! received business sponsors for all of June, July, August and the first half of September.
The market is currently looking for sponsors for the second half of September and all of October.
Though some businesses have heard of the program through word of mouth or solicitation, Molloy said some of them actually shop at the market, and expressed interest. “It’s been really great this summer,” she said. “The reaction’s been very positive. The farmers are very generous … We’re gratified at how generous our customers are.”
The program was developed during a brainstorming session between Molloy and Niki Lewis of Green Earth Goods, a store in Clarksburg. Lewis had also worked with Manna Food Center. They talked about how to get farmers and farmers’ markets involved with helping the center. Out of that discussion, the Fresh Give! program was created. Details were worked out, and they decided on sponsorship prices. “We wanted to make it affordable enough for a small business to donate,” Molloy said. The weekly donation of $200 was decided upon because they wanted to make sure that each farmer at the farmers’ market received at least $40 in sales at the end of the day.
“They really love the program,” she said. “They’ve been extremely generous,” adding that the farmers often donate more than $40 worth of fresh produce.
The Manna Food Center is open Mondays through Fridays, and has satellite locations throughout the county, which are open at different times throughout the week. In addition to donations from the Fresh Give! program, Manna trucks go to supermarkets each morning and pick up food that stores would normally throw away.
“Instead of filling dumpsters, it’s filling stomachs,” Damion said. She added that Manna is working with other farmers’ markets in Montgomery County as well.
“It’s very valuable to us and the families we’re serving,” she said. The Manna Food Center, because of its need for larger warehouse space, will be moving from Rockville to Gaithersburg later this month.
For more information on the Manna Food Center, visit www.mannafood.org.
To learn more about the Fresh Give! program and the Clarksburg Town Center Farmers’ Market, or to make a donation, contact Peggy Molloy at 301-526-1648.
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