Oxnard, CA. – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that The Abundant Table in Oxnard will receive nearly $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase access to locally-grown produce for low-income communities throughout Ventura County.
“As a former school board member, and a mother of two, I know first-hand the critical role that proper nutrition plays in the success of our children, families, and communities,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “I am pleased to announce that The Abundant Table will receive this much-needed funding to expand access to locally-grown produce to low-income communities across Ventura County.”
“We thank Congresswoman Brownley for her continued support of the Farmers Market Promotion Program in Congress, and for being an advocate for increasing access to locally-grown fruit and vegetables,” said the Rev. Nicole Janelle, the Executive Director of The Abundant Table. “This crucial funding will allow The Abundant Table to build upon its longstanding Farm to School efforts, ensuring that our children are not only eating healthily at school, but that our County’s most marginalized families are also able to eat healthily at home.”
The Abundant Table will receive a $99,997 grant from the USDA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), which aims to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, as well as to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets.
This grant will allow The Abundant Table to increase the number of low-income families able to purchase weekly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes from an expanded number of CSA sites in low-access areas of the county; establish at least three schools participating in monthly pop-up stands; increase the amount and variety of culturally-appropriate fruits and vegetables through CSA and farm-to-school programs; and increase English-learning community awareness of and access to local, seasonal produce by enhancing infrastructure for increased consumption of locally grown produce to low-access and low-income communities; developing new marketing and promotional materials for outreach to schools, faith-based, and farmworker communities; and piloting a new school pop-up farm stand at Title 1 schools in partnership with Ventura County Farm to School Collaborative.
In Congress, Brownley is a strong supporter of the FMPP program. Read the full list of FY2015 grantees here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/fmpp/awards.
Issues: 114th Congress, Agriculture, Local Issues