The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) has awarded $50,000 in Food System Support Grants to 11 conservation districts in the state.
The SCC launched the Food System Support Grants to advance activities recommended by the Washington State Food Policy Forum that address food system vulnerabilities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our food system faced difficult challenges in the last year as the pandemic changed consumer’s access to food,” said Carol Smith, SCC Executive Director. “To meet this challenge, conservation districts quickly stepped in to develop additional tools to more directly connect local farmers to their communities, including supplying food to food pantries and direct sales to consumers.”
Funded projects will, among other activities, improve food access from local farms, make farm access information available in Spanish, and expand consumer and farmer participation in local food hubs.
Source: Conservation districts awarded grants to support Washington’s food system