(Crowd paddle raise for the buildout of Locavore Discovery West | Photo by Leo Fremonti, Fremonti Multimedia)
Last Friday evening, Central Oregon Locavore hosted its Tenth Annual Rooted & Rising Gala at Tetherow Event Pavilion, generating over $135,000 in community commitments toward the Discovery West Expansion Fund bringing the organization within $65,000 of the $200,000 build-out goal for its first Westside neighborhood marketplace.
The sold-out event drew 170+ of the region’s most committed leaders, including Senator Anthony Broadman, Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, and Bend City Council members Ariel Méndez, Steve Platt, Mike Riley, and Megan Perkins. Farmers and ranchers from across Central Oregon were seated alongside business leaders, healthcare executives, developers, and philanthropists for a farm-to-table dinner featuring ingredients sourced from Locavore’s producer network.
The evening marked a significant milestone for the 17-year-old nonprofit, which returns 65 cents of every marketplace dollar directly to local producers, a farmer-first model that has sustained more than 150 farms, ranches, and makers across the region since 2009.
“Standing in that room on Friday, seeing the farmers, the elected officials, the community members who have believed in this for years, I can tell you with absolute certainty: this is working,” said Nicolle Timm Branch, founder and executive director of Central Oregon Locavore. “We do not grow by taking more from farmers. We grow by helping more people buy from them. And last night, this community showed up to make that possible.”
Caleb Thompson, Sungrounded Farm owner and Locavore board member, addressed guests from the stage about what the expansion means from a producer’s perspective. “Locavore doesn’t grow by taking more from farmers, it grows by reaching more people,” Thompson said. “When Locavore grows, farms like mine grow. Because the model is designed that way.”
A satellite marketplace in the Discovery neighborhood, the first of what Locavore envisions as a network of neighborhood-based locations that will carry produce, protein, and pantry staples sourced exclusively from farms and makers within 200 miles of Bend. The location is slated to open the summer of 2026 at Discovery Corner Plaza.
Fundraising toward the Discovery West store build-out continues through their Bring It West campaign, which accepts contributions of $5 to $10,000 at the register at 1841 NE Third Street or online at centraloregonlocavore.org/marketplace/discovery-west.
The Rooted & Rising Gala was made possible by the following sponsors: Discovery West, MCD Homes, Taylor Development, Tennant Developments, The Luxe Haus, Branch Brothers Construction, St. Charles Health System, Blissful Heart Wellness Center, Audio Vision Plus, Tetherow, The Source, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Bedell-Comstock Bookkeeping & Tax Services.
About Central Oregon Locavore:
Central Oregon Locavore is a Bend-based nonprofit marketplace connecting local farmers, ranchers, and producers directly with Central Oregon families. Founded 17 years ago on a farmer-first model, Locavore returns 65 cents of every marketplace dollar directly to regional producers. The organization supports more than 150 local farms and makers and is committed to building a resilient, accessible, and community-centered regional food economy.
