Want to support local vendors and farmers in Washington? This new online map can help
As the latest surge of COVID-19 cases pushes officials to implement new restrictions on businesses in Washington, state residents are showing a renewed interest in supporting local vendors, especially in the state’s vibrant agricultural sector, the Seattle Met reported.
“The pandemic only accelerated what all of us knew — over the years, there has been a steady demand for local food in Washington,” Sheryl Wiser, a spokesperson with the Tilth Alliance, a statewide coalition of food systems professionals, told the Met.
Now it’s easier than ever for people to find and support local farms, farmers markets and food vendors with the “newly aggregated” Washington Food and Farm Finder, the Met reported. The tool is an interactive online map that directs users to nearly 1,600 businesses that provide “food that is grown, caught, raised or made in Washington,” according to Eat Local First, which launched the map.
The map breaks businesses down into five categories: eat & drink, farms & fish, local resources, locally made, and markets & grocers. Users can also search for a business using keywords.
Each category is indicated on the map with its own symbol. Once the user clicks a category, you can see specific types of restaurants, farms or markets.
The map also identifies businesses that have policies that cater to coronavirus restrictions, like online ordering, delivery and curbside services. Once the user clicks on a business, a window appears showing the company’s hours and COVID-19 policies.
Users can view farms and vendors either using the map function or they can see a full list of businesses in a certain area by clicking “List View.” Eat Local First is working to add a search-by-county function by January, Wiser told McClatchy News during a phone interview.
Farms and vendors can get listed on the map for free through 2021 by going to “Get Listed” on Eat Local First’s website. There are different requirements depending on the type of business, but all listings are required to be locally owned and operated in Washington.
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Want to support local vendors and farmers in Washington? This new online map can help."