The Project GROWS Waynesboro Farmer’s Market is joining markets across the country in celebrating National Farmers Market Week.
Customers shopping at the market this Saturday will have the chance to be entered into a raffle to win a variety of prizes from farmers and producers. In addition, there will be children’s crafts, live music, and a Lit Speak OUT in partnership with Stone Soup Books.
Signups for the Lit Speak OUT can be found online here.
The Waynesboro Farmer’s Market currently hosts a variety of farmers and producers selling products including vegetables, fruits, jams and jellies, eggs, meats, grains, baked goods, bread, body care products, tie dye and more.
National Farmers Market Week is an annual celebration of farmers markets coordinated by the Farmers Market Coalition, a membership-based 503(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports farmers markets nationwide through training, technical assistance, and network-building.
This year, the campaign is centered around community resilience and the “sense of unity and stability” that farmer’s markets provide “during a time of great uncertainty.”
“The Farmer’s Market is an immense asset to the City of Waynesboro and surrounding area,” said Jennifer Callison, tourism and marketing manager with the City of Waynesboro. “The work that Project GROWS does to increase food access and ensure healthy, local, fresh products for citizens and visitors alike is vital to building a robust community.”
With help from Virginia Fresh Match, the market is able to continue accepting and doubling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at the market, meaning SNAP customers who spend $10 will receive $20 worth of fresh local foods. In addition to the SNAP program the market also accepts WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers.
Additionally, Project GROWS continues its Fresh Food Donation program, in which customers can purchase items from the market to be donated to groups organizing around food security in the Waynesboro community. Vendors often bring their leftover produce at the end of the day to be donated as well.
So far this year, the market has donated over 200 pounds of fresh produce to local food security initiatives.
Project GROWS is a farm-based, nonprofit public health, educational and food access advocacy organization serving the Central Shenandoah Valley.The Mission of Project GROWS is to improve the health and lives of children and families through farm-based learning connecting healthy food from the farm, to the school and to the home.
For more information about Project GROWS and the WFM contact Project GROWS Market Manager Chelsea deRochemont at [email protected] and visit www.projectgrows.org.
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