LOCAL FOOD PRODUCER GUIDELINES FOR DONATIONS AND PURCHASE OF

These guidelines will insure a smooth and mutually beneficial relationships between Orcas Food Bank and local food growers both home, and commercial. Thanks a million for helping us feed our community! 

FRESH SHEETS
● Please email your fresh sheet to the Food Bank manager posted on the website (currently this is Amanda Sparks at amanda@orcasfoodbank.org) 

Timing: Fresh Sheets need to be emailed in by Thursday for the following week’s expected produce deliveries by you, on Tuesday and / or Friday no later than 1 pm for pre-packaged offerings. And, 10 am for none- prepackaged offerings. (call or text Amanda at 360.317.6958 if you have questions) Please include your name in the text. 

How to create a Fresh Sheet: In your Fresh Sheet, please include the following information.
Farm name or Household name, day (and please include the month) you plan to offer, what you have to offer and amount for each offering, (for example: 9 1lb bags of salad greens or 6 1doz containers of eggs or 50lbs of unbagged spinach) This will help us determine how much processing we need to do before we can serve our customers. And, allow us to properly plan our food ordering and offerings for the week. 

If you are a commercial farm vendor with us and we are purchasing goods from you: (See Commercial producer Information section) 

DELIVERY

• Delivery Days: deliveries are on Tues and Friday of each week no later than 1 pm for pre- packaged offerings. And, 10 am for non-prepackaged offerings. 
• If something comes up and you cannot deliver on the agreed upon day/time, please notify as soon as possible by texting or calling 360.317.6958. 
• Where to Deliver: Please bring deliveries to The Food Bank at 176 Madrona Street Eastsound. Please clearly label your boxes with content and farm information, especially if the box contains more than one product of if the contents could be confused with another product.
   
• Packaging: Certain items are only manageable for our staff if they arrive bunched or bagged. Please clarify on your fresh sheet that you submit. 

COMMERCIAL PRODUCER INFORMATION
● Please email your fresh sheet to the Food Bank manager posted on the website (currently this is Amanda Sparks at amanda@orcasfoodbank.org) Your fresh sheet needs to contain a list of your available items, prices for each, and whether that is by the pound, bunch, etc. 

Please include additional information (optional):
projected volume available per week, number of weeks/months you expect your crop to be available, and notes on appearance and flavor. A list of “coming soon” crops can also be helpful for planning. 

● Crop availability changes. Please give us at least 24 hours notice of any changes in crop availability when possible. This allows us to manage our side of things appropriately 

Quality & Prep 

• Produce must be appropriately sized, weighed, and cleaned by grower prior to delivery. freshness and ability to hold up well for the necessary length of time before we serve customers from 3-6 pm.
  o For example, products subject to dehydration (broccoli, lettuce, etc.) must be kept damp and/or chilled prior to delivery, best possible. 
• Handling: Produce must be grown, handled and stored and transported in a highly safe manner to minimize the risk of food safety hazards. 
• Sanitation: Where animals and vegetables/fruits are raised on the same farm, strict sanitary practices must be maintained. 
• Presentation: Please deliver your produce clean and ready to serve. 

Invoicing, Pricing and Payment
Farms must have provided OIFB with your farm business information before payments can be made. Contact Margie Bangs at treasurer@orcasfoodbank.org to provide payment information. 

Please submit an invoice with each delivery, and make sure to include the following: 

● The name of your farm
● Contact info
● Date of delivery
● All delivered products
● Cost per unit
● Case counts/weights
● Extended dollar total for each product 

● Invoice dollar total 

If submitting an electronic invoice, please do so before delivery.
Invoices should be emailed to the OIFB manager. For items not on the list, pricing must be negotiated prior to deliveries.
Checks for payment will be mailed to you directly on a monthly basis, unless arranged otherwise in advance with Margie Bangs OIFB’s accountant. 

Contacts and Questions
Please contact the OIFB manager (currently Amanda Sparks at 360.317.6958) with any questions, and to notify of any changes to deliveries, etc.

Thank you!!
 

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