Raffle & Silent Auction to Benefit Farm It Forward Through May 14

Many thanks to all who enjoyed the Farm It Forward Frittata and Strawberry Mint Juleps at Mother’s Day Brunch at Market Restaurant on Sunday and purchased bedding plants to benefit the Farm It Forward program! Thanks to your support, a new partnership among AHA and local  farmers (Ben's Produce and New Grass Gardens),  WakeMed's Energize! program and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is underway!

The brunch kicked off a fundraising effort that continues this week with a silent auction and raffle at Market . Eleven13 productions has donated a portrait session valued at $750, and chances for the raffle are just $10 each! Stop by Market this week or add it onto your bill when you dine! Eleven13 productions also donated 4 framed salt print images (learn about salt prints) highlighting the farm to table process for a silent auction ongoing this week at the restaurant. Stop in and place your bid and buy a chance for the raffle--it all ends on Saturday night!  All the proceeds will benefit Farm It Forward.

Farm It Forward is a community shared agriculture (CSA) program for Wake County citizens who are working to improve their nutrition due to health concerns and who could use extra help financially to make these changes. Through Farm It Forward, they can receive free shares of healthy, local produce for 10 weeks from local farmers. 
Farm It Forward was conceived by farmers Ben Shields and Patricia Parker of Ben’s Produce. “Farm It Forward is about helping food insecure people in our area have access to locally grown healthy foods,” Shields said. “Community is very important to us; our mission is to strive for healthier people, community and agriculture by growing and sharing the best food we can. Working with AHA on this project has enabled us to connect with people who are food insecure but not necessarily receiving benefits for food.”
 
AHA is coordinating with Energize!, a WakeMed Children’s Diabetes & Endocrinology Program to identify Farm It Forward shares recipients. Energize! is dedicated to helping kids aged 6 to 18 reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and the program teaches young people and their families how to build lifelong healthy attitudes about food and fitness. Sixty percent of Energize participants are low-income.
 
“Connecting Farm It Forward with Energize! is a great way to increase access to healthy foods for people in Wake County who have a real need,” commented Laura Aiken, director of AHA and community outreach for WakeMed. “Plus this engages farmers and provides an additional way to support them. CSAs help farmers as community members invest financially in local farms and help defray the significant costs of planting for a season by purchasing shares,” Aiken added.
 
Cooking Matters
The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle also is a partner in this effort and will provide Farm It Forward share recipients with a free six-week cooking class, Cooking Matters, to help them learn how to cook with and enjoy all the produce from their boxes. Cooking Matters teaches participants how to get the most nutrition out of a limited budget through hands-on, cooking-based nutrition classes. Volunteer culinary and nutrition experts teach these six-week courses through a nationally developed curriculum where participants learn to make educated choices about how to grow, cook, and eat the best food possible.
 
How Can You Help?
Farm It Forward launches early this summer with support from AHA and financial donations from the community. Stop by Market this week (auction and raffle sales end after dinner on Saturday night),and donations are welcome; checks payable to WakeMed with Advocates for Health in Action in the subject line may be mailed to WakeMed, 3000 New Bern Ave., Raleigh, NC 27610, ATTN: Laura Aiken. You may also support
 
Market Restaurant
A health-focused eatery in downtown Raleigh, Market Restaurant is committed to serving fresh, seasonal dishes made of locally grown ingredients. A variety of child-friendly food options are available, and every attempt is made to accommodate special diets. Call-ahead seating is recommended; call 754-0900. Visit www.EatAtMarket.com for a peek at the menu. Market is located at 938 N. Blount St. in the historic Mordecai neighborhood in downtown Raleigh.