Growing Together: NABC and Triumph Teen Life Center Expand Access to Fresh, Local Food

What began as a dry-goods pantry is growing into something much bigger: a community-centered effort connecting local families with fresh, culturally relevant food while creating meaningful market opportunities for Latine and Indigenous farmers.

Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) and Triumph Teen Life Center (TTLC) have been working together to strengthen El Mercadito Food Pantry, expanding its offerings beyond shelf-stable foods to include fresh, locally grown produce. Through this partnership, families are gaining greater access to nutritious and culturally familiar foods while their food dollars are also supporting farmers in our region.

For NABC, this collaboration is part of a broader effort to strengthen connections between local farmers, food access organizations, and the communities they serve. NABC works with a variety of partners throughout Skagit and Whatcom counties to develop new purchasing opportunities for Latine and Indigenous farmers while helping community organizations increase access to fresh, locally grown food.

With recent funding, NABC and Triumph are building on this partnership to provide fresh produce more consistently through El Mercadito, with produce purchased from local Latine and Indigenous farmers. The collaboration creates a meaningful cycle of community investment: funding creates market opportunities for local farmers, locally grown food reaches families, and community partnerships help strengthen the regional food system.

At the heart of this work is a commitment to meeting people where they are. Not everyone has reliable transportation or is physically able to travel to pick up food. Recognizing these barriers, Triumph is adapting its approach by delivering food directly to community members who may otherwise be unable to access it, including older adults, individuals who are ill, and families experiencing transportation challenges. Bringing food directly to people helps ensure that those facing some of the greatest barriers are not left behind.

The partnership is about more than food distribution. Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, Triumph hosts Café con Pan, creating a welcoming space where families can connect, learn about community resources, and participate in helpful workshops. After the gathering, families can visit El Mercadito to receive fresh produce and other food items.

Youth are also an important part of the effort. Teens help with food distribution, providing an opportunity to give back to their community while building leadership skills, responsibility, and stronger connections with the families around them.

What started as a pantry is evolving into a broader community resource one that brings together food access, local agriculture, youth leadership, education, and relationship-building.

NABC is excited to continue growing alongside Triumph Teen Life Center and other community partners. Together, we are working toward a stronger and more equitable regional food system one where local farmers have sustainable market opportunities and families throughout Skagit and Whatcom counties have greater access to fresh, culturally relevant food, whether they can come to the food or the food needs to come to them.