Central Oregon Locavore

CENTRAL OREGON LOCAVORE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Central Oregon Locavore works for an ecologically stable and socially just food system in Central Oregon by improving access to fresh, nutrient-dense local food, educating the community about the benefits of sustainably produced food, and supporting farmers and ranchers.

Central Oregon Locavore is a non-profit.  We count on community support in order to survive. 

Today we have an urgent call for help.  Because our previous lease expired in 2016, we were forced to move from our 1st St location to our new space on 3rd at Revere. This was a very large expense as we had to close the Marketplace for several weeks, remodel a dilapidated building and turn it into the lovely place it is today.  Our exceptionally harsh winter resulted in high costs for snow removal and unusually low sales. Because of these things, we are now in difficult financial straits.
 
We need to raise $25,000 dollars this summer to keep the marketplace doors open.

If you’ve been a loyal member going back as far as 2009, when our founder and president, Niki Timm started this grassroots endeavor, we thank you.  If you know us as just The Marketplace where you may shop or are new to Locavore, let us quickly share our mission.

Locavore promotes local agriculture and its profound impact on our community in many ways.  For example, we work in the elementary schools to expose our kids to the importance of sustainable farming and healthy eating. We get the children out on farm field trips and put them to work with the program called Farm Kids.  Nothing too strenuous, but enough to get a little dirty, squeal and squirm at their first whiff of chicken poop, er… coop, and learn that meat is not made at the grocery store covered in plastic.

We hold regular Meet Your Farmer dinners. Every six weeks or so throughout the year, we match one of our finest chefs in Bend with a local producer. If you have not yet attended one of these dinners you are in for a treat! (To receive our monthly newsletter and stay up on these dinners and other events, go to our website http://www.centraloregonlocavore.org.

Another important program is Willing Workers on Local Farms (WWOLF), which provides volunteer work parties to local farmers to assist with large projects. The estimated value of these work parties to local farmers ranges between $4500-$10,800 per year.

Our Marketplace is our most visible program — a year-round indoor farmer’s market.  It’s a critical piece of Locavore’s overall mission, providing a portal for local producers, most of which are too small to meet the demands of large chain stores.

The Marketplace is a not-for-profit establishment — quite different from a grocery store. We strive to find the balance between providing the farmer/rancher with a fair price and allowing all segments of our community to afford the best fresh, nutrient dense food available.

All of our programs are funded by memberships, donations, sponsorships. Your tax-deductible donation supports:

•        Local agriculture

•        Local environment

•        Local education

•        Local families

•        Local economy
 
Your tax-deductible donation supports local agriculture, local education, local families, and the local economy. Over the past two months, we have completed a thorough overhaul of our accounting practices, completed a deep dive budgetary analysis and implemented cost saving measures at all levels to set us up for a thriving, sustainable 3rd and 4th quarter of 2017 and beyond.

We are very serious about running this organization as professionally as possible.  We believe in the mission and purpose. 

Please join us.