Community Impact
Growing Local Good, Together
Gorge Farmers Collective is more than an online marketplace — it’s a network of farmers, buyers, and community partners working together to strengthen our regional food system.
By connecting local farms with households, schools, healthcare programs, and institutional kitchens, we make it easier for fresh, locally grown food to reach more people across the Columbia Gorge. Whether you're ordering from our online marketplace, sourcing ingredients for a school kitchen, or supporting a community food program, you’re helping grow a stronger local food economy.
From the Field to the Community
Every order placed through Gorge Farmers Collective supports a network of farmers, food producers, and community partners across the region.
We coordinate ordering, aggregation, and distribution so local farms can reach new markets while buyers gain reliable access to fresh, locally grown food.
Our work shows up across the community in three main ways:
-
Connecting institutions with local farms•
-
Supporting food access and health programs
-
Expanding markets for regional producers
Together, these efforts help keep more food dollars circulating in our local economy while ensuring good food reaches more people throughout the Gorge.
Local Food for Schools, Hospitals & Community Kitchens
Gorge Farmers Collective partners with regional institutions to help bring fresh, locally grown food into schools, healthcare programs, early childhood centers, and workplace dining programs.
Through our partnership with Kitchen Sync Strategies, we help coordinate purchasing, logistics, and seasonal planning between farms and institutional buyers. This means more local food on plates across the region and more reliable markets for the farmers growing it.
Institutions we work with include:
• K-12 schools
• Early education centers
• Colleges & universities
• Corporate dining programs
• Community kitchens
GROWING IMPACT ACROSS THE REGION
20+
institutional buyers across Oregon
$70K+
in institutional local food purchases
100's
of students and community members served
15+
of local farms represented
1000's
of pounds of local food moving through our network each season
and growing by the season!
Food Access & Health Partnerships
We believe good food should be accessible to all our neighbors. Through partnerships with healthcare providers, community organizations, and regional food programs, Gorge Farmers Collective helps connect fresh, locally grown food with families across the Columbia Gorge. These collaborations expand food access while supporting the farmers and producers who grow our region’s food.
WHY IT MATTERS
When you shop through Gorge Farmers Collective, you’re supporting more than a weekly order — you’re helping strengthen the regional food system. Together, we’re building a food system that works for farmers, families, and our entire community.
Support local farmers and food producers
Expand markets for small farms
Increase access to fresh food across the Gorge
Keep food dollars circulating in our regional economy
From the Field
Across the Gorge, farmers, kitchens, schools, and community partners are working together to grow a stronger local food system.
From seasonal harvests to school partnerships and community food programs, we regularly share stories from the people and places that make this work possible. Follow along to see what’s growing, who we’re working with, and how local food is reaching more tables across the region.