Fill Your Pantry provided staples to 170 households

Nov. 10, 2020 — The Florence Farmers Market staged its final event of the season on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Siuslaw Middle School. The public responded, with many more families placing orders for food than had been anticipated by volunteers.

During the “Fill Your Pantry” distribution event, vendors offered residents and supporters of the market a last chance to stock up on non-perishables, dry goods and late-season vegetables. Orders needed to be placed earlier in the week and the products available included honey, smoked salmon, fresh produce, winter storage crops and an assortment of desserts.

There were a number of volunteers from the community on hand to assist market personnel with the packing, car delivery and the line for pick-up, including Environmental Management Advisory Committee (EMAC) member Britte Kirsch, who is highly involved in with the Farmer’s Market.

“The turn-out has been fantastic, I think there were more than 170 families that signed up for food and we have probably done close to $20,000 in sales,” Kirsch said. “It is the perfect way to end this season, which was really successful, especially when you consider COVID and the challenges around that whole thing. It just goes to show that people in our community support the idea of the market and we are going to have an even bigger season next year.”