The Common Market in the News

The global disaster relief organization World Central Kitchen has teamed up with Houston’s Common Market Texas to distribute fresh veggies across the city

Eater Houston

Together, the two nonprofits will source fruits and veggies from about a dozen farms across central and southeast Texas, including contributions from Houston refugee farming collective Plant It Forward Farms and Fresh Life Organics, along with Gundermann Acres in Wharton County. Part of The Common Market’s statewide network, these farms have offered to sell the kale, sweet potatoes, and winter citruses like oranges and grapefruit that weren’t destroyed by the winter storm to the organizations, making this a win-win prospect for both the farms and Houstonians in need of fresh food.

The Common Market Partners with World Central Kitchen to Feed Texans

FoodTank

“Thankfully, regional food systems are resilient. Our community partners are resilient,” Smith says. “It’s about feeding people and providing nutrition, and it’s also about quality, having our produce boxes communicate ‘you matter’ to families.”

School districts pitched in to help during hard freeze

Galveston Daily News

Jesica Medellin, project director for Galveston Independent School District’s Texas Afterschool Centers on Education program, carries a box of fresh produce to a car Tuesday. Medellin helped distribute 140 boxes of fresh produce from The Common Market to students and their families in need following the freeze last week.

La Porte ISD offers 400 boxes of produce to area families at food distribution site

KPRC 2 Houston

Each box brimmed with cabbage, carrots and other vegetables grown at local farms throughout southeast Texas. The farms provide food for La Porte ISD year-round, through The Common Market Texas.

“We’re going to be able to feed thousands of people by the end of the week,” said Margo Robertson, outreach coordinator at The Common Market Texas.

1,000 boxes total were donated and they’ll be distributed throughout the area, helping area families as well as farms.

PRESS RELEASE: The Common Market serves Texas communities facing food insecurity and local farms through partnership with the American Heart Association of Greater Houston

The Common Market began its partnership with The American Heart Association in Greater Houston in May 2020, with a goal of providing fresh foods and educational resources to individuals living within Houston’s Complete Communities areas, a collection of 10 underserved neighborhoods. Funding for the produce and distribution span various sources, including Northern Trust and other foundations, and local donors committed to providing healthy food access to disadvantaged communities.

Source to School: Inside AISD Food Services

Austin ISD

"Middle Ground Farm is one of 40 small producers that The Common Market Texas partners with to deliver high-quality, local food to communities. We are so proud to work with new and beginning farmers to really scale up what the local food movement can bring to communities here in Texas.

Farm to School partnerships really help kids understand the importance of choosing healthy options and understanding the impact they're having in the world."

HOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD POP-UP GROCERY PROJECT HELPED AUSTIN FARMS AND RESTAURANTS DURING COVID-19

Sustainable Food Center

Community members know now that they can look to their own community, including small businesses in their neighborhoods, for food access. Restaurants have another outlet to sell food, and farmers do not have to worry about losing years of hard-fought relationships in case additional COVID-related restrictions are implemented. Keeping money local and allowing for community-led solutions creates a resilient system - a system that protects consumers, local economies, and our food future.

Austin ISD Free Produce Boxes Extended Through Dec. 17

Austin Independent School District

“We are thrilled to partner in this new way with Austin ISD,” said Margaret Smith, Director at The Common Market Texas. “At The Common Market, we fully recognize the role of high-quality, local food can play in nutrition and overall good health. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are leaning on our mission to serve, and we are proud to be a part of the solution during this challenging time. "

AISD to provide free Texas-grown produce boxes to families during COVID-19 pandemic

FOX7 Austin

"We are thrilled to partner in this new way with Austin ISD," said Margaret Smith, Director at The Common Market Texas. 'At The Common Market, we fully recognize the role high-quality, local food can play in nutrition and overall good health. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are leaning on our mission to serve, and we are proud to be a part of the solution during this challenging time."