fresh connect seeks BIPOC, Female, Beginning, military veteran and other socially disadvantaged Farmers

Are you looking to diversify your sales and help feed fellow Food Insecure Hoosiers at the same time?

Fresh Connect Central has been working in conjunction with Legita Wilson from the Indiana Department of Health and Emily Buice from the Indiana Department of Agriculture to help food banks source local foods through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA)  Grant Opportunity through one of its two tracks (one is specific to food bank sourcing only and one is a local regional access approach). Fresh Connect Central is a nonprofit agri-food cooperative subsidiary of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana that sources and distributes fresh produce, dairy, and protein to food banks within the Feeding America Network. 

This grant will focus on purchasing local food from Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers which is defined as “a farmer or rancher who is a member of a Socially Disadvantaged Group. A Socially Disadvantaged Group is a group whose members have been subject to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age,

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​ disability, and, where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program.” Fresh Connect Central will be sourcing foods with the funds allocated for all 12 Indiana food banks through one of the two tracks of this grant.   We are looking for farmers who would be able to supply a large amount of product, 1-5+ pallets of product.  We are looking for a diverse variety of produce, protein, and dairy items throughout the state of Indiana.

If this sounds like you or a farmer you know, please reach out to Isis Eynon (she/her) of Fresh Connect Central (Gleaners Food Bank) to express interest in participating! Email is preferred at ieynon@gleaners.org or you can call 317-925-0191 ext 150). “