Farmers market merges with FRESH Project

SHAWANO — Most folks who go to the Shawano Farmers Market when it opens for the season should see a lot of the vendors they’ve come to know and love, but it will definitely have a FRESH new outlook.

The market officially came under the purview of the FRESH Project, a nonprofit organization created three years ago to help bring healthy food to areas of the county where ease of food access is scarce. In that time, the project created a mobile market, a winter market to cover the months when the Shawano Farmers Market was in hibernation, Share the Bounty tables around the county during the summer months and more.

Barb Mendoza, FRESH Project executive director, said she was approached by market representatives in November and asked if her program would be interested in taking it over. She said some of the board members were growing tired of handling the market year after year, but they did not want it to go away.

“They decided they no longer wanted to do it,” Mendoza said. “But instead of disbanding, they thought, ‘Why don’t we call Barb and see if they would like to run it?’ And they did.”

The addition of a project that boasts an average of 50 vendors each season is not expected to impact the existing programs, according to Mendoza. In fact, other projects are growing, as well.

The mobile market’s community-supported agriculture program, where participants receive regular boxes of fresh meat and produce, is expanding. Currently at 71 participants, Mendoza expects to see it grow to over 100 this year.

“We’re working with communities to find where we can bring the mobile market and also working with our farmers to say, ‘This is what we’re looking for,’” Mendoza said. “We’re going to work again with Cedar Wedge Farms, Porter’s Patch, Five Star Lamb, Johnson’s Family Cattle and some other organizations.”

Also, the FRESH Project is adding the Menominee Reservation to its purview after focusing mainly on Shawano County. Mendoza said there are plans to help with their community gardens.

Adding the Shawano Farmers Market provides a little more sustainability to the FRESH Project, according to Mendoza.

“We’re able to apply for more grants now to help run our programs,” she said. “I think this is going to be a really great thing for us. It’s not just for us; it’s for the community.”

The only change to the market patrons will likely see is the change in the logo, which will incorporate the FRESH Project art. Mendoza said everything else will remain status quo, even though she plans to keep looking for more vendors to participate, and she also plans to highlight vendors more through cooking demonstrations and other activities at the market.

“You won’t see much change, except for a few small changes we found through surveys last year,” Mendoza said. “We’re listening to what the people want, and we’ll try some new things.”

Mendoza plans to continue the seedling program, which allows vendors to try selling at the market for free one Saturday before making a formal commitment.

She also hopes to expand the partnerships with the vendors to expand other programs. For example, any unsold produce with the potential to spoil before the next market could be placed on the Share the Bounty tables to help those in need and reduce food waste.

“A lot of times, they don’t go to a market on Sunday (to sell), so what are they going to do with it?” Mendoza said.

The Shawano Farmers Market starts June 20 and runs through Oct. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon. Market vendors sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, landscaping plants, maple syrup, bread, cheese, fish and meats, and some booths sell crafts. Local musicians perform, and master gardeners are also available to help with gardening quirks.

The FRESH Project has helped many who found it difficult to access some types of food due to distance from grocery stores, especially the elderly and disabled. More than 30,000 pounds of produce have been donated and distributed to those in need since the FRESH Project started in 2017.

“We would go out to the elderly centers when they have their weekly lunches, and they were our biggest supporters,” Mendoza said. “They want it. They need it, and they’re too old to garden. Our low-income families were excited, too.”

Mendoza noted that the new venture with the farmers market, along with all of the FRESH Project’s other programs, would not be possible without the help of volunteers.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com