Fresh to Families
Fostering Community, Connection and Empowerment through Food:
Fresh to Families Program
At VFM, we believe that fresh, locally-grown food should be available to everyone regardless of income. Our Fresh to Families Program is one of the ways we work to make that goal a reality.
What is Fresh to Families Program?
The Fresh to Families Program is Vancouver Farmers Markets’ own expansion project of the Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program, a province-wide healthy eating initiative led by the BC Association of Farmers Markets (BCAFM) and the BC Ministry of Health.
Under the BCAFM Nutrition Coupon Program participants receive coupons from community partners and these can then be redeemed at the BC farmers markets. BCAFM collaborates with community organizations and BCAFM member farmers’ markets (like us) to support lower-income families, pregnant women and seniors.
While the program provides access to fresh, locally grown food that may otherwise be inaccessible, while also giving participants the dignity to choose the foods that work best for them, every dollar redeemed goes straight to BC farmers and producer vendors.
The VFM Fresh to Families Program provides funding and administrative support to the entirety of the Nutrition Coupon Program, which serves 18,000 families across BC living with low income, newly arrived refugees, seniors, and at-risk families with food skills and nutritional programming.
The Fresh to Families Program directly fundraises to provide coupons to families through four Vancouver community organizations:
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- VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH Healthiest Babies Possible Program
- MOSAIC Building Blocks
- VANCOUVER FAMILY CONNECTIONS Circles of Care and Connection
- KITSILANO NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE Connecting Neighbours. Creating Communities
In 2022 you helped us raise $80,368 and support 160 local families through Fresh to Families Program!
In order to keep up our support for these families and many more facing food insecurity, we need your support.
Donations of $20 or more are eligible to receive a charitable tax receipt through our partners at Vancity Foundation.
What is the impact of your donation?
Fresh to Families coupons always have double the impact: each $3 coupon feeds families with fresh, local food while also benefiting local farmers, who receive the full value of each coupon.
How do your donations help the families?
- A $30 donation brings a family to the farmers markets one time
- A $120 donation brings a family to the market for an entire month
- A $600 donation brings a family to the market for an entire market season
- A $1,200 donation brings a family to the market for two market seasons
What difference do you make by supporting Fresh to Families?
- Participants shop for culturally appropriate food that suits their diets at our farmers markets – This is not just food, but dignity and opportunities for empowerment through choice
- This Supports the livelihoods of BC farmers and producers through increased sales at farmers markets
- The process itself Fosters community integration across neighborhoods and allows individuals to connect with people with similar backgrounds, and thus expand their horizons.
Become a corporate sponsor of the Fresh to Families Program
Make a real difference for the most vulnerable in our community by becoming a corporate partner of the Fresh to Families Program! Contact Monika Chowdhry to start the conversation.
*Sponsoring the Fresh to Families Program is tax deductible.
We would like to thank our Fresh to Families supporters and sponsors of 2022
Sustainable Economy Fund
Our partners in the community:
Healthiest Babies Possible Program, Youth Prenatal + Parenting Program, and Public Health Dieticians
Mount Pleasant Family Centre Circles of Care and Connection
Connecting Neighbours. Creating Communities
Supported by:
About Vancouver Farmers Markets Community Access Programs
VFM’s Community Access Programs provide increased access to fresh local food, food education and business development for underserved communities, aligning with our mission to promote food equity, support local farmers and agriculture, and create a more inclusive and sustainable local food system for all.
