Veg Out Pilot Program

The Veg Out Pilot Program is a program that has started in May 2023 that was formed out of the Poudre Food Partnership working groups. It’s a program that married both a local purchasing program within a food bank and a local food systems non-profit - the Food Bank for Larimer County and the Northern Colorado Foodshed Project.

The Food Bank for Larimer County’s Local Farm Purchasing Program (LFPP) has been deemed a success within our local food system. The Local Food Pantry Assistance Grant (CDHS) spurred an increase in funding for the Food Bank for Larimer County to help improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency through non-competitive cooperative agreements between local producers and hunger relief partners. Started in 2020, the LFPP was originally aimed at leveraging available pandemic-related funding to help sustain local producers in the face of significant market upset (canceled restaurant purchasing contracts, canceled farmers markets, inability to do direct distributions, etc). In the first iteration of the program, the Food Bank for Larimer County offered to purchase, at retail prices, any product partnering farmers were unable to sell via their existing channels. The purpose, then as now, was to provide a financial safety net for farmers and producers, while also directing fresh, local foods to the food bank’s estimated 37,000 clients. Since 2020, with no sustainable source of funding, the program has pieced together funding from a variety of grants and individual donors, however with the award of LFPA, the Food Bank has been able to expand and more proactively seek producer partnership opportunities. 

This funding has been critical to some farmers - from pandemic times to now. In Larimer County, of the food that is grown within the county, only 1% is purchased locally. This statistic shows the barriers farmers are faced with when trying to sell their products. Thanks to the LFPP, the Food Bank for Larimer County has become an important supported market opportunity, especially for growers in the first few years of operation, who are disproportionately challenged as they build other market opportunities.

This program also addresses local food access to FBLC’s clients, all the while providing an additional and reliable wholesale account for local farmers.  It also cuts down on spoilage and food waste going into landfills.

During the first few years of this program, , it quickly became apparent, as with any local procurement initiative, that transportation logistics would present a significant challenge. Farmers throughout Larimer County, already logistically stressed by limited workforce, growing season schedules, and other deliveries, found it difficult to bring unsold produce to FBLC locations during business hours, thus limiting the efficacy of the program. . 

The Northern Colorado Foodshed Project secured a Regional Food Systems Partnership grant in 2021 which has facilitated collaboration between 6 local organizations to increase the vibrancy, resiliency and equity in our local food systems. In collaboration with the Poudre Food Partnership’s working groups, members of the Market + Infrastructure Support working group and Producer Support working group found an opportunity at the intersection of the Food Bank for Larimer County’s local food procurement funds and the Larimer County Farmers Market. The working groups proposed a collaboration where FBLC would station a truck at the weekly Old Town farmers market towards the end of market hours and purchase any unsold produce. This partnership streamlines the logistics for obtaining local fresh foods and ensures farmers can go home with empty trucks and minimal food waste. Once purchased, the Food Bank brings this fresh, local produce to its Fort Collins Fresh Food Share client choice pantry location for distribution to clients the very same day.

The execution stage of this project includes cooperation between the Food Bank, Larimer County Farmers Market, and Northern Colorado Foodshed Project. Within the first few months of its operation, the program has successfully purchased over 4,000 pounds of local produce and has infused the local farming economy with over $14,000 of additional sales. While the program is still in its beginning stages, we’re excited to see this collaboration expand!