Farm to Food Pantry

● Be a public agency, a tribe or tribal organization, or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency.
● Be currently registered as a nonprofit agency/corporation with the Secretary of State Office in Washington, unless a federally recognized tribe. If a nonprofit agency, have had IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status for at least one year prior to the beginning date of the sub-agreement date.
● Be registered and “searchable” in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a valid UEI Number.

Requirements for data reporting, maintaining organization eligibility, and administrative procedures are outlined in the Guidance Document. After successful applicants are selected, we will send a poll to determine a day/time for monthly virtual cohort meetings that fit most of the agency coordinators’ schedules; we ask that F2FP coordinators attend at least 50% of these meetings.

Ultimately, we expect sub-agencies to engage with F2FP as more than just a funding source, but as a foundation to develop sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with local small-scale farms that engage your stakeholders in supporting equitable local food systems as well. Local food systems are all about relationships! Communication is key–especially with farms, so that they’re clear on what/how much produce you want delivered and when. We hope that you promote your local farm partnerships in your food distribution, on social media, and other outreach. 

Farms must be licensed with the Washington State Dept. of Revenue (see this list for exceptions, which farmers would need to attest to). Sub-agencies are expected to work with small-scale farms (~ <100 acres) located within their service area or adjacent counties.

HAH sends funding to the sub-agency, which then pays the farms directly. 

WSDA has seasonality charts showing what fruits, herbs, vegetables, and legumes are in season in WA throughout the year. We expect agencies to talk with farm partners about the produce they’re planning to grow for the year and when it will be available.

It depends on capacity! In HAH’s programs, it has most commonly been the farms delivering — for example, it might be convenient for the farm to deliver on their way to/from a delivery to a farmers market, CSA pick-up site, or restaurant customer. In rural areas, agencies may arrange a more central pick up location. It is up to sub-agencies to work with their farm partners to determine the most feasible plan.

Pricing varies by region, so it may help to ask a farm local to you that already wholesales about the prices on their “fresh sheets.” If you’d be working with a direct-to-consumer farm that’s new to wholesaling, we’ve seen some F2FP agencies around WA identify 50% of a farmer’s market price as a standard for a high-end wholesale market. Farms may or may not be able to offer a discounted rate for food assistance customers or for produce that was unsold at the farmers market that day — we recommend that both parties be flexible, but F2FP aims to support farms with fair market prices.

See our list of current agencies on this page below! Depending on available funding and the applicant pool, there may be more than 1 sub-agency in some counties. We will prioritize applicants serving areas that have not previously been reached by F2FP.