MFM is hosting a food drive for Friends of Seasonal & Service Workers (FSSW) at the Thanksgiving Market on November 20th, from 10a-2p. Market customers are invited to participate by buying food from vendors and donating it to FSSW, who will be tabling at the market and collecting food donations. Vendors can participate if they like through donating 2nds or extras they weren’t able to sell. The whole market community is involved, and is a win-win by directly supporting both MFM’s farmers & food artisans and FSSW.
Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers support self-help efforts of low-income working people organizing to fight for living wages and to develop year-round benefit programs in their communities. Supplemental food distributions and annual holiday campaigns provide the means for seasonal and service workers and their families to narrow the gap between their actual income and their necessary expenses.
The holiday season comes at the most difficult time for seasonal worker families as they face increasingly bitter weather, high utility bills and profit-driven pressures to spend money in the face of decreasing incomes. As gas prices, medical bills, cost of living, and unemployment continue to mount, more working families buckle under the pressure to provide both the essentials for survival and holiday food and gifts.
Shopping list of what to donate
Any kind of fresh produce:
- Carrots, onions, potatoes
- Winter squash
- Apples, pears, Asian pears
- Spinach, lettuce or other salad greens
- Chard, kale, or other braising greens
Other market staples:
- Bread
- Meat
- Eggs
- Jam, jelly, honey
- Cheese
Other food items not listed are welcome, all donations can be put to use!
Become a hunger fighter! Please consider buying an extra food item when shopping MFM this Sunday. You’ll double your support for your local farmer, and FSSW will make sure your donations get to a neighbor in need, adorning their tables with nourishment and comfort.
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Get in touch with Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers at 503-231-4826 or 2228 NE Glisan St, Portland OR 97232.
Click for more information about MFM’s community tabling program.