By Daniel Hoffmann
You ain’t doing it for the money, because I know your salaries are lousy. You ain’t doing it for the glory, because there’s nothing glorious about picking up garbage to make your market site clean, countless hours of admin, or being yelled at by a moody customer. You do it because you love food, people, community, the earth. You provide a place for farmers and local producers to sell our creations at a decent rate. You provide a space for people to source healthy local food and to build relationships with the people who grow and prepare it. Indeed, you put the “custom” back into the experience of being a customer. You provide a safe destination for young parents to come and spend the day with their kids. You provide us with hope, by showing us that there are things that are “right” with the world. So, here’s to you Farmers’ Market Managers…for all the unseen, unthanked work you do to create such magical community gathering places.
A very special thanks to Lee Overton, Janaki Hadida, Gabi Starosta and our other market manager friends and colleagues!