Farm to Table means many things: Knowing where your food comes from; accessing fresh nutritional food; supporting local businesses; and last but not least, getting back to our roots.

Farm to Table Buy Local is a non-profit 501(c)(3) formed in 2018 to promote locally grown agriculture and improve access to fresh, healthy food.  We serve the 30 counties of Western Pennsylvania. 

The organization’s founder, Erin Hart, started the annual Farm to Table Local Food Conference in Pittsburgh in 2007.  We now publish the digital and print Western PA Local Food Guide and work with hundreds of farms and local growers to promote their products to consumers and wholesale buyers.  In addition, we are the Western Pennsylvanian chapter of the Buy Fresh Buy Local brand campaign.

Farm to Table Buy Local provides a myriad of programming to promote real, fresh, local food.  These activities include food deliveries, online webinars for children and adults as well, helping people access food assistance programs.  We work in schools, community centers, affordable housing, and child care centers.  The Heinz Endowments has supported our mission through grant awards since 2018.

COVID – 19 Emergency Response

In March 2020 we quickly changed gears.  All schools, community centers, and child care centers were closed and food programs and activities needed to adhere to the COVID-19 emergency protocols. 

Farm to Table Buy Local implemented a new food delivery policy to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in affordable housing senior high rise buildings and family communities.  We worked with local housing authorities to implement these new policies and change the way food donations were to be delivered.  All donations are now done door-to-door to eliminate residents from congregating in the lobby, elevators, and hallways of their buildings.  Farm to Table Buy Local provides staff to work with food banks and food rescue organizations to provide door-to-door delivery of their monthly donations.  Link to blog here

In April 2020 Pittsburgh-based Heinz Endowments provided an emergency grant to Farm to Table Buy Local in response to the COVID 19 emergency. Over the course of 5 weeks, four local restaurants are making and packing over 5,000 meals for residents who live in 35 locations managed by the Allegheny County Housing Authority.  Each meal is delivered door-to-door by trained Farm to Table staff who practice social distancing and no-contact deliveries.  Read our Distribution Policy here for the delivery personnel.

USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program

In May 2020 Farm to Table Buy Local was awarded a USDA contract for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.  The initial contract period with USDA is May 15 – June 30, 2020, with 3 options to extend in two-month increments until December 31, 2020.

Farm to Table Buy Local is in good company!   Other Western PA organizations participating in the Farmers to Families Food Box include Marburger Farm Dairy, Monteverde’s Inc, Paragon Wholesale Foods, Schneider Dairy Inc, and Turner Dairy Farms Inc.

Read the Article from the Post Gazette here: Pittsburgh-area companies awarded Farmers to Families Food Box Program grants

Local Food Guide

Farm to Table Buy Local publishes the digital and print Western PA Local Food Guide (https://farmtotablepa.com/local-food-guide/).  We work with hundreds of farms and local growers to promote their products to consumers and wholesale buyers.  In addition, we are the Western Pennsylvanian chapter of the Buy Fresh Buy Local brand campaign.