Local Environmental Agriculture Project - LEAP

Thanks everyone who came out on Friday for such a fun evening of food, music, and community at Mountain View Community Garden, we had a blast! The brief rain interruption didn’t dampen our spirits as we celebrated and enjoyed our time together. Your attendance and support helps LEAP’s work to ensure local food access and support local farmers! Here are some of the fun event highlights!

Also huge thanks to all of the event sponsors and activity hosts — for taking such amazing photos!
and for keeping the beverages flowing,
for the beautiful flowers for garlands,
for the native plant tour & talk (and planting!)
and for the sweet music
and LEAP Scratch Kitchen for the delicious, local food

And to our sponsor and the nearly 40 raffle contributors who supplied such amazing gifts!

Keep an eye out for future events and learn more about how to get involved with leap at leapforlocalfood.org/get-involved.

ATTENTION all farmers within 100 miles of Roanoke who grow fruits and vegetables!

LEAP is opening up our Farmers Market application for a mid-season call for market vendors with fresh produce!

LEAP serves a community of more than 1,500 market shoppers each week who are dedicated to supporting local farmers and eating seasonally. We also work with and raise additional funds to support individuals and families with limited income to double their dollars for fruits and veggies at the market. LEAP markets operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays. If you or a farmer you know is interested in joining our vibrant and growing market community, reach out and apply today!

Learn more and apply at leapforlocalfood.org/market-vendors

We’re almost sold out of tickets for the Garden Gala on Friday! Thanks to volunteers for helping get the gardens looking glorious and ready for a celebration! Huge thanks to the over 40 local vendors and businesses that have contributed to the raffle and are sponsoring activities this year.

Get your ticket today before we sell out—includes free appetizers + 1 raffle ticket! Additional raffle tickets are available in 1, 5, or arm-length quantities.

Tickets available at leapforlocalfood.org/events

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Come to the West End Farmers Market for SNAP Double Match Day on Tuesday from 3pm–6pm! For customers with SNAP/EBT, every $1 you spend, you get $2 free to spend on fruits and veggies!!

The market is open to everyone!

Plus, every Tuesday, all kids (2-17) get $5 Kids Bucks for fruits and veggies and customers with SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid get $1 free fruits and vegetables for every $1 you spend. Visit the market manager to learn more.

After you shop the market, check out the LEAP Community Store to complete your shop with additional veggies, grab-and-go foods, pantry and bulk items, and more!

Thanks to everyone that came to the Volunteer Meet & Greet yesterday! We had fun showing folks around the LEAP Hub, meeting the team, and sharing more about our volunteer opportunities!

For folks interested in volunteering, here are some questions answered!
* Looking for a regular volunteer opportunity? Kitchen and Office volunteer opportunities are ideal for our "regulars," (and open to all).
* Want to sign up whenever you can make it? Gardens and Food Hub are great for "whenever you can" volunteering.
* Have more freedom to volunteer outside of summer months? Mobile Market has its highest volunteer need from August - May, when LEAP has less interns.
* Worried about lifting / physical ability requirement for Mobile Market and Food Hub? We can work around your ability!
* Can't stay for a whole shift? Just reach out to the contact listed - we can be flexible!
* Looking for opportunities that can be done on your own time? We are grateful to have anyone provide their particular expertise (carpentry, IT, marketing, etc) or interest in one-off events as a volunteer. email [email protected] to learn more.

Check out our new volunteer orientation and sign up for an opportunity today at leapforlocalfood.org/get-involved

June at LEAP is filled with beautiful local food, community, and opportunities to engage!

Join us this month to:
* Meet & greet with the LEAP staff and volunteer team!
* Indulge in summer at the Garden Gala
* Get delicious fresh food, grown by local farmers
* Make eating local more affordable with our fresh produce match
* Try out new volunteer & market opportunities!

See slides for details and see you soon!

The Garden Gala is coming up and the gardens are looking good after all this rain! Join us on Friday, June 12th from 6-8pm at Mountain View Community Garden for a family-friendly night of fun…

Your $15 ticket supports LEAP’s work and includes free food, activities, and 1 raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased to increase your chances of winning an amazing prize!

Get ready for:
🥗 Seasonal appetizers from and LEAP Scratch Kitchen
🍷 Cash beer and wine bar sponsored by
📸 Professional “Photo booth” sponsored by
🪴 Native plant talk & tour by
🎻 Appalachian folk music from and
💐 Flower Boutonniere making with
🎟️ Plus a Raffle with amazing gifts donated from a variety of local businesses (previews to come)!
🌟 Also supported by and !

Find tickets at leapforlocalfood.org/events

A Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certification through ServSafe® carries weight in the food service industry. Sign up today for LEAP's ServSave Certification class on June 8th!

A ServSafe® Certification can:

* lead to better pay and greater employment opportunities
* help protect you and your company's brand
* help you become an important part of managing your company's food safety culture, reducing the risk of foodborne illness

In addition to becoming foodsafe certified, when you take a class with LEAP, you help support our mission of building and nurturing our local food community—supporting local farmers and making fresh local food available for all!

Note: We are moving to a quarterly schedule! Get yourself or your team certified in our June or September class!

Learn more and sign up: leapforlocalfood.org/servsafe
For private or group classes, reach out to us at [email protected]