Farm to Plate Marketplace
Virtual marketplace to connect farmers and community members.
WHAT IS IT?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Farm-to-Plate is a virtual marketplace that provides consumers of all income levels with direct access to fresh, local produce through online ordering and weekly pick-ups. We are designed to directly connect farmers and community members in a way that is manageable for both parties.
You order online, choose a pick-up location, and pick up your groceries on the selected day and time.
Everyone is asked to pay what they can afford to ensure healthy and local food is accessible to all community members. Customers can choose a subsidy or to pay it forward when they are checking out.
We do the hard work by aggregating individual orders to make it easier for the farmer and the charity food programs to meet minimum orders.
Visit Farm-to-Plate Marketplace for local, seasonal, fresh groceries and to support your Vancouver community!
HOW IS SPEC INVOLVED?
SPEC joined as a collaborator on the Farm-to-Plate Marketplace Project. Anthony Csikos, the project’s Chief Technical Officer, first started attending the SPEC Food Team’s meetings back in November 2019. He shared his ideas and the Food team welcomed the project. They shared their knowledge and resources including volunteers and their relationships with the farming community and Little Mountain Neighbourhood House (LMNH). In the winter of 2021 a Farm-to-Plate Marketplace participant, Yee Chan, brought forward a grant proposal from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative. SPEC was approached to apply for this grant that would help develop and grow the Farm-to-Plate Marketplace Project at LMNH and beyond. SPEC agreed and were successful in acquiring $43,000 in funding. Now, with some cash in the bank for the project, SPEC has hired a Marketplace Coordinator, a Marketing Manager and supplies to keep the project moving forward.
