PORT ANGELES – Among the business people hardest hit during the virus shutdown are local farmers, who have lost much of their market for the foods they grow with restaurants largely closed and farmers markets only now beginning to open up for Spring.

Over the past several weeks, the North Olympic Land Trust along with community partners North Olympic Development Council, Jefferson Land Trust, and WSU Clallam County Extension have been raising donations for the Olympic Peninsula Farmers Fund.

The initial round of federal disaster assistance funds specifically did not include farmers, and the Payroll Protection Program doesn’t apply to many farmers either.

Land Trust Executive Director Tom Sanford says these donations are not a handout, but an investment in produce futures for local food banks.

“It’s going to be in the form of somewhere between 1,500 and 5,000 dollar pre- contracts, that are basically buying food, produce, fresh product to then go back to our local food banks over the next couple of years. I do expect this to really be very helpful, at a modest percentage of support, for somewhere in the realm of about a dozen farms.”

The fund drive, which ends tonight at midnight, will be available to local farmers immediately to help pay expenses such as land leases, payroll, purchases of seed and animal feed, or even equipment or web site design.

The goal of the drive is to raise $50,000. As of today, $35,000 had been collected.

If you’d like to help with today’s final push of the Olympic Peninsula Farmers Fund, click here.