It definitely was a different market this season. We moved the market to the Town Hall parking lot to allow for a possible worse case scenario of just doing a curbside market. Thankfully we had a very safe market where shoppers could walk through the market preorder or buy at the vendor tents with touch-less payment.
It took a community to make this market happen. Fred Yen, our market manager, and community partners were instrumental to ensure that the market was Covid-19 Safe. Thank you Jennifer Cafarella of the Town Manager’s office, Jennifer Murphy and the Winchester Health Department, Mary Ellen Rourke-Falvey and the Jenks Center, and Todd Craven, pastor of the Hope Christian Church.
Our manager had so much more to manage and coordinate this year: PPE ordering, setting up, working with volunteers and coordinating with vendors with safe market procedures. Starting with only a handful of vendors, he added more vendors, then adding artisans and community organizations … even music. All the time keeping the market safe but making feel a little pre-Covid. Thank-you Fred!
We also want to thank our vendors and our shoppers! Farmers markets are all about supporting local farmers, food businesses, artisans, organizations and musicians.
What makes our farmers market work is our community of volunteers and helpers. Thanks to our market greeters Sandy, Terry, and Joyce who volunteered their time to make everyone feel welcomed and showed shoppers how the safe market worked.
Thank you to all the following people who make our market successful:
Our high school set-up volunteers: Claire English, Elisa Molloy, Lilly Cerami and Maya Furlong.
Our SNAP interns: Sophie Farnhill, Colin Norton, Griffin Correia and Alister Correia.
Our out-going treasurer Anne Hoffman and new treasurer Ken Lampert.
Our newsletter maverick: Elena Varipatis Baker
Our web and social media director: Margo Attaya
Our market photographer and pr person: Joyce Maxwell
Our artist co-ordinater: Sue Clark
Our music co-ordinator: Eliza Jazan
Our food justice team for SNAP program outreach, grant-writing, and Dwelling Place donations: Sue Doubler and Judy Storeygard,
Our PPE grant-writer and grant co-ordinator: Sandy Thompson
Local community organizations and businesses were an important part of our success this season. Thank you to the long time sponsor of the market, the Winchester Cooperative Bank, who this year also increased their support to include a grant to Anna’s Fund. Thank you to The Winchester Savings Bank who provided the funds to support our interns who processed all the SNAP, HIP and Anna’s Fund transactions. Thank you to the En Ka Society and CHNA 15 for grants to pay for all necessary PPE and other COVID-19 supplies.
