For the 11th Year, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Grant to CityCenter Danbury Farmers’ Market Supports Fresh Food for All
A $38,000 grant from the Fairfield County's Community Foundation (FCCF) will enable the CityCenter Danbury Farmers’ Market to make fresh produce accessible to people who might otherwise not have access to healthy food options. The grant also supports new COVID-19 protocols to help keep shoppers safe.
The Danbury Farmers’ Market runs every Friday 10 am to 2 pm, from June 19th through Oct. 30th at the Danbury Railway Museum. Fairfield County's Community Foundation awarded the grant from a component Donor Advised Fund to support the Danbury Farmers’ Market Community Collaborative’s (DFMCC) Better Food for Better Health program.
The donor-advised grant provides seniors, veterans, women, children and SNAP (formerly food stamps) recipients with market cash incentives for produce, and local farmers benefit by selling more produce. Peggy Zamore, nutritionist and coordinator of the market programs, which is managed by CityCenter Danbury, said, “Over the past eleven years, the Community Foundation has awarded the Danbury Farmers’ Market Community Collaborative almost $300,000 for our work from this donor-advised fund. The donor advisor, who wishes to remain anonymous, learned about the Danbury Farmers’ Market Community Collaborative many years ago from their philanthropic advisor at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
This significant level of funding is hugely appreciated by the Collaborative and the Danbury community. Without Fairfield County's Community Foundation continued significant support, our health promoting incentive programs would simply not be possible.” "Fairfield County's Community Foundation is proud to support CityCenter Danbury’s Farmers’ Market once again. This support specifically comes from a FCCF donor-advised fund holder, who cares deeply about fresh food access and Connecticut’s working farmers. We are thrilled to help keep this gem of an initiative going strong in downtown Danbury – now more than ever," remarked Karen R. Brown, the Community Foundation's Vice President of Development & Philanthropic Services.
• Creating a safe space following the COVID 19 protocols
• Accepting and matching Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
• Matching state Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program vouchers, up to $9 per week, for low-income seniors and recipients of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
• Providing Market Fruit & Veggie incentive coins for seniors and veterans.
• Offering Virtual Nutrition, Health & Fitness information and classes.
This generous donor-advised grant is one example of more than 169 grants totaling over $3.7 million that have been awarded since mid-March 2020 through donor advised funds at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. A year-over-year comparison shows that during that same period last year the Community Foundation has seen an increase of more than 385% in grants to nonprofit organizations made through the hundreds of donor-advised funds it manages.
Visit Danbury Farmers' Market online here.