Photo courtesy of the New Albany Farmers Market
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New Albany residents have long known cooperation with the workers who commute in each day.
With a workforce that nearly doubles residents, New Albany can look different on weekdays than on weekends. However, the New Albany Farmers Market is just one example of how harmonious a relationship between a city’s residents and visitors can be.
Vendors at the Farmers Market are diverse. During the summers, you’ll find your typical fruits and vegetables, but you’ll also find homemade candles, stuffed animals and prepared meals. The vendors have also proven themselves diverse in background, with some driving hours to get to there. The market is a hot spot for fun and activity on Thursdays during the summer.
Despite New Albany not being their home, many of the vendors have found themselves giving back to the community anyway, by way of the Village Coalition Against Hunger (VCAH).
“It’s really a nice impact getting the stuff from the Farmers Market because it’s always fresh,” says Eileen Pewitt, who is on the VCAH board. “Any time we can get food and pass it on, it’s a blessing, for sure. It does impact the coalition greatly.”
For the last three years, Pewitt, a chef, has also volunteered at the Farmers Market’s chef’s tent. Each week, she taught marketgoers how to use products found there to create a delicious meal. Though Pewitt won’t be staffing the chef’s tent this year, she finds the partnership between the market and VCAH to be a resoundingly positive one.
Photo courtesy of the New Albany Farmers Market
Donations from vendors typically depend on how much they were able to sell that day, as well as the product. If a vendor was unable to sell a certain amount of product, it donates, Pewitt says, turning a negative into a positive.
“It probably provides a little bit of, ‘At least I’m using my products to help people,’” Pewitt says. “The altruistic feeling about it, that’s a good thing. When we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, which is feeding other people, that’s a good thing.”
Pewitt’s history with both VCAH and the Farmers Market has allowed her to see both sides of the transaction, and says a major benefit of Farmers Market donations is that VCAH doesn’t need to pay to transport the items. For a civic nonprofit to have access to high-quality products at a low cost – or none at all – is invaluable. Pewitt says certain community members are even using the unofficial partnership as a teaching tool for their children. She cites one mother/child team from the 2016 market who, together, would pick up all donations and drive them to VCAH.
“Families have their kids who are taught the value of giving back, and that sort of thing,” Pewitt says. “To me, on so many levels, it’s a great thing.”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.
