From Gorge Grown Food Network:
By Hannah Nanda
Hood River, Ore., Oct. 25, 2026 — The annual Fill Your Pantry market returns Saturday, November 7, with a slightly different approach this year. Rather than a separate one-day event, Fill Your Pantry will take place during the regular Hood River Farmers Market, bringing bulk buying and winter food storage to the market’s final stretch of the season.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hood River Farmers Market, shoppers can stock up for the months ahead while supporting local farmers and food producers. Vendors will offer larger quantities and bulk pricing on seasonal and storable foods, making it easier to fill your pantry, freezer, and kitchen with local food for winter. Expect a wide range of fall and winter staples, including storage crops, meat, fish, honey, cheese, pantry goods, dried herbs, and other locally produced foods.
To help make local food and Fill Your Pantry accessible to everyone, Gorge Grown is offering a $100 SNAP Match. Customers shopping with SNAP can turn up to $100 in SNAP benefits into $200 to spend at the market. The additional match comes through Oregon’s Double Up Food Bucks program, which provides matching funds for customers with SNAP to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets. The market welcomes SNAP cards from any state. The market also welcomes Oregon Farm Direct Nutrition Program benefits for WIC recipients and eligible low- income seniors.
“Fill Your Pantry is about connecting people with the farmers and producers who grow and make their food, while giving those producers an opportunity to sell larger quantities as we head into winter,” said Hannah Nanda, Farmers Market Director for Gorge Grown Food Network. “Holding the event as part of the regular farmers market means shoppers can make their usual farmers market trip while also stocking up for the months ahead.”
Shoppers are encouraged to bring reusable bags, boxes, coolers, and their muscles! This is a market for stocking up. Free parking is available for market shoppers on the west side of the Columbia lot. The market will also offer a Veggie Valet: drop your purchases at the information booth, get your car, and drive right up to your load instead of hauling everything across the market.
For more information, including participating vendors and food storage resources, visit gorgegrown.com/fillyourpantry. The market is still accepting vendor inquires, contact fillyourpantry@gorgegrown.com to participate.
Why the change?
Fill Your Pantry has historically been held as a one-day event at the Rockford Grange, which has been a valued partner in this community tradition for many years. This year, Gorge Grown faced some challenging decisions around staffing and funding capacity, as well as the space limitations of the Grange to accommodate all interested vendors.
Integrating Fill Your Pantry into the Hood River Farmers Market allows Gorge Grown to make the most of existing resources while creating more room to grow. Last year, local vendors had to be turned away because of space limitations. The larger farmers market site can accommodate many more vendors, providing an opportunity to expand participation, support local agriculture, connect farmers with shoppers, and help our community prepare for winter.
“We’re excited to bring Fill Your Pantry into the farmers market this year,” said Nanda. “The heart of the event remains the same: helping people stock up on local food while giving farmers and producers an opportunity to move larger quantities before winter. This format gives us more space to bring those two goals together.”
Gorge Grown is deeply grateful to the Rockford Grange for its many years of partnership and for the important role the organization has played in making Fill Your Pantry the community tradition it is today. The Grange’s historic gathering place has provided a welcoming home for local agriculture, food, and community connection.
Hood River Farmers Market continues this fall and winter
The Hood River Farmers Market will continue to operate every Saturday through November 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market’s winter season opens December 5 and will continue every other Saturday through April, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. near Ferment Brewing Company on the waterfront. More information is available at www.gorgegrown.com/hoodriver.
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