With love for all and food for all

Simplicity and nonviolence are the basis of an economy of wellbeing, and such an economy must be localized.

Vandava Shiva, who said this, believes that localizing food systems allows for the restoration of community. This felt radical before, but now it feels like it's something that’s accessible, and not just to those that can afford to pay more for food. Do you agree? While we know that our region can’t possibly grow ALL of the food our region needs, buying locally grown food still reduces reliance on long-distance transportation and industrial agriculture. It still bolsters our self-reliance while deepening our connection to our farmlands. For many, it’s been a challenge for decades to buy truly locally grown, or afford locally grown. This is why NCFW exists - to reduce that barrier, even just a little bit. And, to intentionally work to improve small farmers’ lives, too (and fishers, and ranchers, and more). We know that there is actually a lot being grown between Astoria and Portland, and between Astoria and Newport. Stick with us, and you’ll start to know this, too. 

NCFW doesn’t work alone. There is a strong undercurrent of lifting-up and helping-out going on all of the time. We listen to each other as organizations and are committed to continuing to work better together to reduce duplication and do what matters most and where it matters most. We are learning from each other to make it better for all we serve. Stand outs this winter for me are the people behind Oregon Coast Visitors Association, Care Oregon, Feed’em Freedom Foundation, Business Oregon, City of Astoria, OSU Extension, OSU Seafood Lab, Oregon Community Food Systems Network, Ag Connect, Clatskanie Food Hub, Food Roots and Central Coast Food Web. These aren’t all funders, though some have contributed to NCFW. The throughline is the genuine care and mutual respect and support for those of who are putting in the work. It’s really beautiful. I’ll take it.

In this newsletter you’ll read about..

• A newly available kitchen and storage space for use as low as $10 an hour

• A seed swap 

• TWO new lending libraries (but not for books!)

• Our expanding Food Access program

• Events and learning opportunities

Thank you to our monthly sustainers, some awesome private philanthropists and all those who volunteer with us, including our dedicated Board of Directors. We just had a board election and I want to thank Andrew Morgan, as he enters his second year as chair, Tara Olson, who is our new vice-chair, and Sarah Wykowski, our new secretary. These are hard working volunteers and I am so happy to have teamed up with them to continue shaping North Coast Food Web’s service. 

Thanks for reading, 

Jesse Jones

Executive Director

Food Web News

Medicaid for local food? It’s happening June 1.

HRSN = Health Related Service Needs

HRSN is a program (primarily in Oregon) that recognizes that being healthy requires more than just doctor visits; it requires access to basic needs like nutritious food. On June 1, we will start accepting Medicaid for fresh food and veggies, and/or pantry items, depending on one’s qualification. This is not SNAP, though we are working hard to get SNAP back. This is also not our Free Food Box project - which is self-identifying. Our new project adds another opportunity to participate in our Food Access program through Oregon Health Plan (OHP).

North Coast Food Web is participating in Oregon Community Food System Network’s HRSN Learning Collaborative which currently convenes a group of 30 community-based organizations in Oregon interested in providing food and nutrition benefits. This learning collaborative will increase our capacity to provide nutrition benefits through shared best practices. Due to the nature of the learning collaborative and the diversity of participant organizations, many of which identify with the communities they serve, we are co-learning culturally and linguistically specific practices from one another. We plan to tap into the existing knowledge of these organizations in areas where we have less experience.

Thanks to this collaborative, we will be uniquely prepared to offer nutrition support to our eligible community members who receive OHP by June 1. We have developed connections with community partners around the state with in-depth knowledge, and we are hearing from organizations who have experience with providing HRSN services. We are grateful to OCFSN for the space they have made to help us understand critical readiness considerations, provider contracting requirements, referral acceptance expectations, documentation practices, and more. 

For more information, please contact jesse@northcoastfoodweb.org. 

Producer News

Every order counts!

We would like to thank our 'souper' community for another month of support and showing up for our local producers. This February 216 orders were placed through our market, bringing in $10,208.09 in revenue– proof that every order counts, especially during these winter months. Remember, the majority of this revenue goes right back into the producer’s pocket! As part of these orders 60 free food boxes, each worth approximately $40 in value, were shared with community members who needed support. We are only just getting started. In addition to purchasing your local groceries, check out the variety of seeds available for your garden planning. Prefer in person shopping? In March Laughing Rabbit Farm will be back with another pop up to share seeds and plant starts, stay tuned!

Sign up for our weekly market newsletter for updates about what is available, who is popping up, weekly recipes and more.

We are kale-ing it, but as always, we could use some support! If you’d like to help us keep the good going, please consider making a donation to support NCFW projects and programs.

What's available this winter?

Beef, pork, lamb, sablefish, tuna, salmon and sausages are all available year round, along with cheese, milk, bread, honey and eggs. One producer has eggs for just $2.80/half dozen! We also have a wide array of teas, dried foods, jams, hot sauces, soaps, salts, vinegars, skin food and seeds available year round. As for what is growing, we currently have kale, beets, other leafy greens, potatoes, carrots, leeks, garlic and mushrooms, to name a few things.

New Vendor: Great White Cookhouse

In February we welcomed Great White Cookhouse, a small kitchen operation out of Cannon Beach, into our producer network. Keep a look out for free samples of Karen Capece’s beloved Sunday Gravy, a generational family tomato sauce recipe, at a pop up this month!

In-person shopping is here!

In February we introduced retail shelves to our new space! Now on market days 3-7pm

you can come in and purchase from our dry goods shelf, our eggs fridge and our frozen fish freezer, in addition to purchases on our Online Farmers Market platform.

Wanted: Locally Grown Vegetables & Fruits

Thinking about selling your freshly grown food with us this year? Have you started growing yet? Do you need ideas for what to grow? Grow for your community, and sell with North Coast Food Web. We need you!

Contact market@northcoastfoodweb.org.

Available: New Kitchen Space!

Oregon State University Seafood Lab

OSU’s Seafood Lab is the latest space to join our growing Kitchen Network! The kitchen is available for emerging food businesses looking to eventually scale up production, but who are currently operating on a modest scaleThis kitchen offers cold and dry storage as well as some packaging equipment and more. Email network@northcoastfoodweb.org for more information.

Witness: Local Food Links 2026

This month, producers and buyers from up and down the coast convened in Nehalem and Newport to discuss challenges and solutions to the availability of locally grown food, storage and distribution. We will be holding another on the north coast in the spring, keep a lookout for the announcement!

Witness: NCFW in the Astorian

Last week the Daily Astorian came in on our market day to ask us about the Online Farmers Market–check out what they wrote!

Wanted: Seeds For Seed Swap!

March 29, 1-4 pm, Lower Columbia Preservation 

Society, 591 12th Street, Astoria

Join in-person or if you can’t make it, drop off before then at North Coast Food Web, 1450 Exchange Street, and we’ll add them to the table! 

Events and Opportunities

Astoria Tool Library Open House – March 29

The Astoria Tool Library, a program of the Lower Columbia Preservation Society will host its official open house on Saturday, March 29 from noon to 4 at 591 12th Street in Astoria, just two blocks from North Coast Food Web! This community gathering marks the public introduction of a new community-powered lending resource providing affordable, short-term access to quality hand tools and small power tools. Sharing tools is affordable and builds community! LCPS is actively seeking donations of gently used tools that support home repair, gardening, and preservation work. You are encouraged to bring tools to donate during the open house and help lay the foundation for this shared resource. All donated tools will be reviewed for safety and mission alignment before being added to the lending collection.

The event will also feature a seed swap in partnership with North Coast Food Web, All are encouraged to bring seeds to exchange, and connect with others preparing for the growing season. North Coast Food Web will share information about its partnership with Astoria Public Library’s new Library of Things. With foundational support from the Autzen Foundation, food-related kitchen equipment will soon be available for checkout through the Astoria Public Library’s catalog—just like books! Keep a lookout for North Coast Food Web’s workshops demonstrating how to use the equipment.

Farm Viability Workshop – March 11

Oregon Agricultural Trust (OAT) is hosting an interactive workshop for farmers on Wednesday, March 11 from noon to 3 at Clastkanie Farmer Collective, 80 NE Art Steele St in Clastkanie. This free workshop is designed to provide farmers with tools for navigating common challenges in farm business management and transfer. Whether you're a new producer or looking towards retirement, we’ll introduce practical tools to support effective decision-making, guide communication about operational changes, and help move both generational and non-family succession planning conversations forward. Register at tinyurl.com/2026-clatskanie-workshop today. Lunch provided! 

We’ve partnered with BottleDrop Give, Oregon’s container deposit program! Every can, bottle, or glass container you return helps fund our mission of connecting farmers, fishers, and food makers with our community.

There are two ways to participate:

One, pick up a Blue Bag from us when you come to pick up your order! Fill it with Oregon 10¢ deposit containers (plastic, aluminum, or glass). Keep bags under the 20 lb. weight limit. 

Or two, Donate directly from your BottleDrop account. If you already have a personal BottleDrop account, you can donate your balance directly to North Coast Food Web in just a few clicks:

      Log in: to your BottleDrop account online. 

      Find: our nonprofit by using the search bar or by browsing categories. 

      Select: North Coast Food Web and choose the "Donate" option. 

We're always seeking Thursday market volunteers to help receive, sort, and distribute weekly orders—everything from fresh produce and frozen fish to honey, flowers, and more. Interested? Email market@northcoastfoodweb.org to get started!

Get Involved!

Our work to cultivate a resilient and equitable food system on the North Coast wouldn't be possible without our community of volunteers, our wonderful Board of Directors, and the donors that fund our programs!

1450 Exchange St.

Astoria, OR 97103

Office: 503-468-0921

Market: 971-326-0598

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