Our produce distribution events got really popular and we were having more people we had the means to serve waiting in long lines, including people who weren’t really impacted by the fires. We were trying to make it as easy as possible and not require any identification but we realized that, in the long term, it is not only essential but also fair to the community that a verification system was developed. 

Community members can now register through our website. During registration they will have their eligibility verified and only if eligible they will be able to claim a voucher which can be exchanged for free produce at our distribution events. The amount of vouchers available will depend on how much funding we have available. But if we have more eligible people registered than we can serve, this will be essential and accurate data to be presented when sourcing and applying for additional funding. The other benefit of the voucher system is that only the amount of vouchers we can fulfill will be available for claiming, that way people won’t be waiting in line without knowing if there will be any produce left in the end.