New Farmers Market in Takoma-Langley Crossroads Will Feature Local Foods with an International Flavor
Source: The Washington Post, January 25, 2006; Page F05
Visit the Crossroads Farmer's Market website
TAKOMA PARK – The Takoma Park Farmers Market has been awarded a major grant
by the Project for Public Spaces, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to
establish a new and innovative farmers market in the Takoma-Langley "international
corridor" area. The Crossroads Farmers Market, opening in mid-May, 2007, will feature a variety of locally produced foods, including ethnic and specialty vegetables and herbs, fruits and baked goods, sold by minority and immigrant growers new to farmers markets, as well as by producers who have sold at urban farmers markets for many years.
The $60,000 grant also will allow the creation of a micro-loan program designed to
encourage minority and immigrant farmers to participate in farmers markets and other forms of direct marketing. In addition, a new wireless debiting system will allow
customers at both the Crossroads Farmers Market and the Takoma Park Farmers Market to use bank cards and Electronic Benefit Transfer(EBT)/food stamp cards at the markets.
"The City of Takoma Park is delighted to support this innovative idea. We hope to see it bring fresh produce to the residents, provide a new source of revenue to minority farmers, and assist in the economic development of the Crossroads area," said Takoma Park’s Mayor, Kathy Porter.
The Crossroads Market will be held on Wednesday afternoons, and like the Takoma Park Farmers Market in Old Town, will be a producer-only market. The new market is
scheduled to open in May.
"Takoma Park's leaders are to be commended", says former USDA Undersecretary of Agriculture, Gus Schumacher, ”for bringing fresh local food to Takoma Park's New
American neighbors, helping the region's New American farmers produce good food
locally, and supporting access to healthy food by vulnerable American families".
The Project for Public Spaces grant is part of a three-year-old national initiative to
encourage diversity of growers and products at farmers markets, and to use the markets as a tool for community cohesion and economic development. The Crossroads Project was one of only ten grants awarded in the highly competitive program.
In 2006 there were 4,385 farmers markets in the United States, with estimated sales of $1 billion annually, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. The number of markets has almost doubled in the past decade.
"I am pleased that the Takoma Park Farmers Market has received this grant," said
Congressman Van Hollen. "I know how special the Takoma Park Farmers Market is and how important it is to our community. Quality locally grown produce will soon be
available in the Takoma-Langley Crossroads area. I know that it will be welcomed and supported, not just for the quality of the food, but for the sense of community that will come with it."
CROSSROADS PROJECT PARTICIPANTS:
The Takoma Park Farmers Market was founded in 1983. It was the Washington area’s first Sunday market, the first to operate year-round, and the first to become selfgoverning. Currently 23 vendors from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West
Virginia participate in the market. Other participants in the Crossroads Project include the City of Takoma Park, CASA de Maryland, the large immigrant and refugee organization based in Takoma Park, the Maryland Agriculture Department and City First Bank, Washington D.C.’s first and only community development bank. The Takoma Park Farmers Market board of directors has hired Michele Thornett to serve as the project coordinator.
Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 dedicated to creating and sustaining places that build community. It provides technical assistance, education, and research through programs in parks, plazas and central squares; buildings and civic architecture; transportation; and public markets. PPS has worked with communities in 48 states and in 20 countries around the world. Please visit www.pps.org for more information.
Project for Public Spaces - 2007 Individual Market Grantees
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 “to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.” Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities. To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership; information and communication technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.
The Wallace Genetic Foundation, a Washington, DC, foundation with interests in
sustainable agriculture and the environment, will provide additional support for the
Crossroads Project.
Interested in participating? Click here.
¿Interesado en participar? Chascar aquí.
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