Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) announced that The Abundant Table, a nonprofit based in Camarillo, will receive nearly $250,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand access to locally grown fruits and vegetables for low-income families throughout Ventura County. The grant, part of USDA’s Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), aims to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, as well as to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets.
“As a mother of two, and a former school board member, I have seen first-hand the critical role that proper nutrition plays in the success of our children, families, and communities,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “I am so pleased to announce that The Abundant Table will receive this much-needed funding that will help our local, small farms grow and continue to be drivers of our economy and also ensure that they can play a role in the success of our region’s children in school.”
“We thank Congresswoman Brownley for her continued support of the Farmers Market Promotion Program in Congress, and for being an advocate for increasing access to locally-grown fruit and vegetables. The FMPP, along with other government based grant funds for small farms, is critical to the growth and sustainability of community-based farms such as ours. This funding allows The Abundant Table to build upon its longstanding Farm to School efforts in Ventura County, ensuring that our children are not only eating healthily at school, but that our County’s most marginalized families are also able to eat healthily at home. In addition, this grant will allow The Abundant Table to pilot a produce program for farmworker families and ‘prescription’ food box for patients needing to increase intake of fruits and vegetables,” said Nicole S. Janelle, Executive Director of The Abundant Table.
