We have some difficult updates to share. Our Feed Your Neighbors (FYN) program no longer has the sufficient funding to continue and will be paused indefinitely. More specifically, funding for the FYN vouchers has run out. We’ve secured a grant that will fund the FYN produce boxes through mid-October; then those will be paused as well.
At this time we cannot say if these pauses are permanent; however, they do allow time to strategize and secure long-term funding, as we know food insecurity is ever-present.
Important Dates:
July 26th is the last day to pick up FYN vouchers at the market.
October 25th is the last market for recipients to spend FYN vouchers and for vendors to redeem them.
FYN produce box recipients will be contacted prior to their last delivery in October. The last preorder from farmers will likely be placed on October 6th.
Please know the decision to pause Feed Your Neighbors is heartbreaking for us and was not made lightly. The FYN program was born in March 2020, driven by concern and generosity from our community at a time when everything seemed uncertain. Since then, our FYN program has fed thousands of food-insecure neighbors in our community and paid more than $265,000 directly to our vendors. In these past five years, FYN has been a lifeline to our neighbors and farmers alike.
Thank you to those who have held FYN close to your heart and supported us as the need rose from a handful of boxes to an ever-growing waiting list. Whether you have donated money, volunteered your time, or worked tirelessly to grow, raise and produce food for our community- THANK YOU.
The current annual cost of food for this program is $72,000. To additionally serve everyone on our current waitlist would cost an extra $24,600. If you want to be part of the solution that revitalizes and anchors the FYN program for the long haul or if you know funders with the capacity to make a significant multi-year gift and a shared interest in breaking down barriers to access local food, contact us! Without a commitment of at least $50,000 from one or more sources, this program is not sustainable.
If you are a recurring donor, thank you and we hope that you’ll continue your donations during this pause to help us strategize how to move forward. We can also help you change the designation of your donation to another program of PFM, as we work in many ways to make sure people in our community have access to fresh food. However, if you’d prefer to pause your donation until a later time, let us know and we can help.
We remain committed to supporting the local food system, our community, and our shared future. We will keep you informed as updates become available. In the meantime, we continue to be a resource providing referrals and will re-imagine local food distribution together with our community partners.