News from the Winter Farmers Market and Acorn

The winter Farmers Market at the site of the future Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café is a great place to meet your neighbors!

Submitted by Ruth VanBogelen for the Acorn Farmers Market & Café

The Winter Farmers Market completed its first month last weekend with 13 markets and, as promised, is providing local food to area residents to make healthy homemade meals.

We heard several people tell how their Thanksgiving dinner was made almost completely from food from the winter market! On average, 100 people come during the four-hour market to buy items from vendors and items brought in by local farmers and producers and sold on consignment for them. From sales during this first month, Acorn will return $6,000 to local farmers/producers (their share of consignment sales) and vendors selling directly to customers reported a total of $5,225 in sales.

Thank you to all those shopping at the winter market and to local farmers/producers for providing the food. We
welcome feedback and suggestions about what other consignment items to carry.

We are now ready for volunteers to help us out. We have set up an online sign-up, but you can also sign up at the market. We are seeking two specific types of volunteers:

1. On Thursday and Friday mornings, we need help from 9:30-11 am to help set up the store. This includes counting the items brought in for consignment sales, putting items in containers, in some cases putting price tags on items and other general set up and clean-up tasks. The online link to sign up is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C4BAEAB2CABFA7-market

2. On market days, we need someone to greet customers and restock shelves during the busiest hours. On Thursdays and Fridays, those hours are from 3-5 pm and on Saturdays the busy hours are 10 am – 1 pm. Sign up online link for Thursdays and Fridays is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C4BAEAB2CABFA7-winter and for Saturday the link is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C4BAEAB2CABFA7-saturday

Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café also is participating in Giving Tuesday – at www.acornfarmersmarketcafe.org. We have also signed up for Amazon Smile. If you order from Amazon, connect via smile.amazon.com and our charity link is http://smile.amazon.com/ch/83-4316088. Cash, check and credit card donations are accepted at check out at the market and checks can be mailed to Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café, PO Box 432, Manchester, MI 48158.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.