The Common Market, a renowned nonprofit local food distributor, is proud to announce its acquisition of Local Foods, a decade-old local food wholesaler in the Chicagoland area. This strategic acquisition represents a significant step forward in advancing the cause of local, sustainable food while creating a more resilient regional food supply chain.
Brittani Rowe, the culinary manager for the Marietta City Schools, is unafraid of innovation. “It’s something we thrive on,” she said.
Putting that philosophy into action will be tested this fall when the district’s high and middle school cafeterias introduce a notably kid-scary option: kale. The love-it-or-hate-it leafy green will be one piece of the fresh produce and meat options Rowe and her crew will receive this fall through a $60,000 grant from the Georgia Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience and Equity (ACRE) Collective, a new initiative co-led by nonprofit, regional food distributor The Common Market Southeast and other food and health organizations.
Bill Green, Executive Director of The Common Market Southeast, emphasized the significance of the referenced programs. "For many of the farmers we serve at The Common Market, these programs are transformative,” he said. “Historically underserved farmers have long been excluded from wholesale opportunities. Now, these farms are empowered to participate."
Something fresh is growing at Marietta City Schools. The district is prepped for a new recipe development and nutrition training workshop that celebrates Georgia-sourced fruits, vegetables and meats—an official kick off to a new local foods incentive pilot program that will support small farms led by people of color, women and others historically excluded from market opportunity within the state and increase student consumption of locally grown, nutritious food.
The “Feeding Our Future” Food Pantry is a result of collaborative efforts between the Houston Housing Authority, the American Heart Association, The Common Market Texas, Fit Houston, Civic Heart Community Services, Sankofa Research Institute, and our other community partners. Its primary goal is to bridge the food insecurity gap for the residents of Cuney Homes, a community within the Third Ward and is one of many upcoming projects HHA and its Community Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) have planned to help revitalize Cuney Homes and the Third Ward community.
Raven Santana sits down with farmers and agricultural experts to highlight the top crops in the state, how fresh produce makes it to our schools and the legacy of black farmers in New Jersey. Kenny Bartee from K&J Farms, a Black-owned vegetable farm in Elmer, NJ, explains his farming legacy and how The Common Market has played a role in helping him gain committed markets for his product.
At The Common Market, we’re aware that adopting a values-based approach to school food procurement – one that prioritizes community values, like supporting local businesses or climate, over price – can present unfamiliar challenges for school districts and their food service teams. We also know that once a program is in place, the benefits of local procurement can outweigh the burden of the initial effort it takes to implement. Values-based procurement strengthens communities, contributes to resilient local food economies, and positively impacts student health.
But, how do schools get there? In this webinar, hosted by the Urban School Food Alliance, our National Partnership Director Rachel Terry breaks it down and illustrates insights from our recent resource: “Advancing School Food Procurement: Driving Values-Based Purchasing Through Competitive Solicitation”.
The Rockefeller Foundation has invested more than $11.3 million in and around Metro Atlanta across its Equity & Economic Opportunity and Food programs since 2019. Recent collaborations include:
"Recognizing base line, for us to advance racial equity as part of public procurement—and any other value as well—it is a deviation from the system and the way that it is today. It is a shift from a low-cost procurement model to one where we are embedding values and reconsidering the way that our procurement processes occur."
"The White House held a conference on fighting hunger and diet-related diseases for the first time in 50 years to address President Biden’s goal to end hunger by 2030. The plan released this week relies on expanding SNAP benefits, increasing the supply of free school lunches and improving access to grocery stores and healthy food.
This hour, we discuss food insecurity in our region and look at who is most affected. We’ll also talk about the connection to chronic disease and the domestic policies that make it harder for families to eat well. Among our guests are Haile Johnston, co-founder of The Common Market."
Our friendly and educated team is here to partner with you every step of the way. Connect today to learn of all the ways to partner with The Common Market.
"The Common Market has a great selection of local and sustainable products that meet our school's needs and wonderful customer service as well. Quality of products is always high and getting orders delivered timely is consistent. We can feel good about our contribution to our local vendors as well."
— Germaine Appel, Executive chef and Nutritional Planner, Soulshine Preschool