Moving Beyond Cancer in NOLA: Hurricane Sally Market Update from the Crescent City Farmers Market

Hurricane Sally Market Updates | September 14, 2020

FRESH & LOCAL:

Hurricane Sally Market Updates

In peak hurricane season, Crescent City Farmers Markets always encounter disruptions. This week is another example. Due to high winds and rain tomorrow the Tuesday Uptown market will be closed. However, we encourage you to restock on fresh fruits and veg by shopping the Bucktown Market on Wednesday. As of today, we anticipate hosting CCFM’s drive thru market in Jefferson Parish.

Make sure to follow the City of New Orleans recommendations on hurricane prep and:

Eat your expensive, perishable food first
Spend today cooking up things that will be easy to eat if we lose power
Make sure you know where everything is in your fridge so you can get in and get out and keep those temps down by keeping the door closed as much as possible
Check on your neighbors to make sure they have enough food to make it through the storm

PICKS OF THE WEEK:

Advantages of ordering in advance

Given that often, we are not certain about the destination or impact of hurricanes until a day or so in advance, and that the WhatsGood online farmers market order window happens multiple days in advance, ordering food during what might turn out to be a major storm can feel a bit… odd. Another way to look at it is that we have the opportunity using this technology to hedge our bets in case we made all our hurricane plans, only to wake up and the sun is shining like any other day. Much as distance learning means classes don’t have to be cancelled for kids during a storm, the WhatsGood platform offers a no-risk way to try to navigate uncertain weather.

CCFM is watching the forecast to see what Wednesday holds, but in the case that everything clears up and vendors can safely get to market, we will still hold our Bucktown Market this week. If you place an order and market is cancelled, your order will be automatically cancelled and refunded.

Not only will you have the opportunity restock those local, fresh fruits and veggies you missed out on on Tuesday, but ordering in advance is an incredibly powerful tool that lets vendors plan, budget, and prepare for markets. We know using the app isn’t the same as seeing your favorite vendor at market, but using the app is the next best thing to letting those familiar folks know you’re still there, and give some sense of normalcy to vendors when they see that important revenue for their business is still there. 2020 silver linings - technology can help make the potential impacts of severe weather somewhat less uncertain!

P-EBT is available again!

Finally, while P-EBT has nothing to do with Hurricane Sally, we are excited to see that applications for P-EBT have reopened. P-EBT is nutrition assistance of $285 for families of students who normally receive free and reduced price lunch at school, or who suddenly qualify due to factors related to COVID-19. In Orleans Parish, this was 82% of public school students before coronavirus. The initial application period closed before sufficient applications had been received to use up all of the funding allocated. Market Umbrella, along with many of our NOLA Food Policy Advisory Committee (FPAC) colleagues, recently signed a letter urging the state of Louisiana to re-open P-EBT enrollment and make those funds available to families who need it. And they did! Applications are open until September 29th, so if you or anyone you know has a child who depends on these meals, please apply and/or help us spread the word.