GoFarm Curates a Farmers' Market Experience in a Box

"The work that GoFarm does is so important," says Lindsey Hoffman, the Golden nonprofit's director of marketing and development. "We're providing healthy, nutritious food for everyone in our community, inviting people to get involved in their local food system, and supporting our local farmers who prioritize sustainable growing practices."

Founded in 2014 by Eileen O'Rourke, GoFarm's original goal was to build up a robust local food system to support farmers and make fresh foods affordable and accessible to everyone in the community.

Now the program serves around 700 people and families, and works with a variety of local farms, including Hoffman Farms, Grow Girl Organics, MASA Seed Foundation, MetaCarbon Farm, Common Name Farm, SoCliff Farm, Wild Wicks Farm, Speedwell Farm and Gardens, Kilt Farm, Infinite Harvest, Quizbee Farm, Lost Rock Farm, Topp Fruits, Sunnyside Farms and Western Flora.
Some of the GoFarm vendors, like Mile High Fungi, Tasty Acres and Emerald Gardens, may sound familiar since they pop up at farmers' markets. But don't be surprised if others are less known: Exposing these farms to the public is part of the nonprofit's goal.

"We also are always on-boarding new farmers, so this list definitely isn't comprehensive, but it includes some of our more consistent farms that we buy from," says Hoffman, adding that GoFarm currently works with over fifty farms and farmers.

Customers can take advantage of GoFarm's network by signing up for a farm share, which can be ordered weekly or bi-weekly and be built as the consumer wishes. There are eight categories of foods to choose from, including veggies ($25), fruit ($12.69), mushrooms ($8.97 to $15.39), microgreens ($5.71) and more. The prices reflect the weekly fee.

Shoppers can also use SNAP benefits to purchase shares, which are 50 percent off thanks to the program Double Up Food Bucks. And there's an online form to apply for 50 percent off the share for those who may not have SNAP but can't afford the base fee.

Orders are placed online, and the food can be picked up from three locations: 750 Warner Drive in Golden (Wednesdays from 3:30 to 6 p.m.); 614 10th Street in Golden (Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Fridays 8 to 10 a.m.); and 16320 West 64th Avenue in Arvada (Thursdays from 3:30 to 6 p.m.)."We have friendly staff that help people pick out their food, and we offer recipes, cooking tips, info about their farmers and more," says Hoffman, noting that people can sign up at any point in the season, which officially launched on June 7. "We really try to make it feel like a community event each time people pick up."

For more information, and to place a farm share order, visit gofarm.org.