Food Recovery at Port Orchard Farmers Market

Kitsap Harvest is seeking volunteers to collect and deliver excess food from farmers at the end of the Port Orchard Farmers Market.

The market runs every Saturday from April 4th to October 31st at the Port Orchard Waterfront ​Boardwalk behind Peninsula Feed. The market ends at 2pm so volunteers start collecting donations during the last hour around 1pm.

Volunteers talk to every farmer towards the end of the market to see who has excess food to donate. Most farmers are familiar with Kitsap Harvest but you may need to introduce yourself and Kitsap Harvest’s mission to new farmers attending the market. In addition to food recovery this is an outreach role as it helps us to build strong relationships with our local farmers.

Collected food is delivered to our warehouse in Bremerton to be distributed within Kitsap County. Alternatively, you’re welcome to directly distribute this food anywhere within your community (ex: your neighborhood, apartment complex, community center, school pick-up line, religious center, etc). We would just need to coordinate how we can weigh the food before it’s distributed for our reporting needs.

More about this role: The Farmers Market Recovery Program connects beautiful, seasonal produce from local markets with more than 20 relief organizations around Kitsap County, including seniors, low income housing, Boys and Girls Clubs, shelters, and soup kitchens. The Farmers Market Recovery Program is encouraged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It prevents quality produce that is unsold or imperfect from being wasted. It also provides hunger relief partners a reliable source of fresh fruits and vegetables.

VOLUNTEER QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to repeatedly lift 25 lbs.
• Available the entire season (or at least half).
• Access to a vehicle (optional if you have a location to deliver it locally)

ESSENTIAL VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILIES

• Enthusiastic to learn more about Kitsap Harvest's mission and various programs and to share that information with others.
• Excited to take ownership of food recovery at the Port Orchard Farmers Market. Establish a routine that works for you and make changes as you see fit.
• Represent Kitsap Harvest positively by being respectful and friendly to everyone.
• Willingness to use POINT to track volunteer hours.
• Follow up with questions, issues, or feedback you have or ones expressed by farmers.