Zenger Farm CSA Accepts Food Stamps

There are so many great food events in Portland and lately I haven't had time to go to many. One of my favorites of the past several year's has been Friends of Family Farmers' free and open to the public InFARMations held at Holocene every second Tuesday night of the month. The last one held featured Zenger Farm's new SNAP for CSA toolkit and I wish I could have gone and learned more about it. Here's the gist straight from the source:

Zenger Farm is launching a new toolkit to help Oregon CSA farmers begin accepting SNAP dollars (formerly known as Food Stamps) for their member shares. This is a key component in the fight for better access to good food for all.

Fast facts:

• SNAP brings more than $1 billion in federal food money to Oregon each year. • Zenger Farm Shares was one of the first Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) in Oregon to accept SNAP. • While the traditional CSA model supports farmers by assisting with the upfront costs of farming, that same upfront capital investment is often a barrier for households on limited incomes. • In 2011, Zenger Farm received a grant to develop a toolkit to help Oregon CSA farmers begin accepting SNAP dollars. This toolkit will be rolled out at community meetings and conferences across the state, as well as through online webinars in 2013.

More info about the toolkit and programMore about Zenger Farm Shares

2012 Tour de Hives

The Zenger Farm Bee Group has organized Portland's second annual Tour de Hives and it's taking place in backyards near you on Saturday, August 18th in celebration of National Honey Bee Day. Local backyard beekeepers will host self guided apiary tours throughout the Portland area from 1-4pm in order educate the public about urban beekeeping and how to be a good steward of the honeybee.

Tickets can be purchased online at the Tour de Hives website at a sliding scale of $5-15. Children are free with an adult. All proceeds benefit Zenger Farm. I'm not sure if I'll be back in town by then but if I am I hope to see you there. Sounds fantastic.

One week prior to the event, a tour map and site addresses will be emailed to ticket purchasers. For the self-guided tour participants transport themselves to each site, and set their own pace exploring a wide spectrum of urban beekeeping styles. A full list of tour guidelines is available online. And I think that they're still looking for volunteers if you're interested in lending a hand.

Following the event from 4-6 p.m. tour participants are encouraged to head to the Lucky Lab on Southeast Hawthorne to continue the conversation. For more information, contact Sydney Mead at sydney@ecotrust.org, or visit the Tour de Hives website.

About Zenger Farm

Founded in 1999, Zenger Farm is a working urban farm that models, promotes and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. It now consists of 9.7 acres of farmland and wetland in outer southeast Portland. For more information visit www.zengerfarm.org.

Tour de Hives 2012 www.tourdehives.com Organized by Zenger Farm Saturday, August 18 Self-Guided Apiary Tours: 1-4 p.m. Post Event Gathering: 4-6 p.m. at Lucky Lab (915 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) Tickets can be purchased online at a sliding scale of $5-15. Children are free with an adult.