Plant A Row, Grow A Row: A Unique Partnership

FINALLY.... after yesterday's amazingly warm temperatures it feels like spring and so it is finally time to make our announcement.... I am writing today with EXCITING news! We have created a fantastic opportunity for the Southwest Edmonton Farmers’ Market: an opportunity that will set our market apart from the rest and make it a truly special entity on the Edmonton Market landscape!

We are going to be partnering with the Edmonton Food Bank in a very unique way. Come harvest time, our market will be the city’s collection site for the Plant A Row, Grow A Row donation drop off. So mark your calendars for

September 18th, 2013

Plant a Row, Grow a Row is a nationwide initiative that collects fresh produce for local food banks. It encourages people to plant a row of vegetables in their home gardens in the spring that they, in turn, harvest and donate to their local food bank in the fall. Hosting this collection event at our market will allow people to donate to the food bank in a highly personal way, and it will allow non-gardeners to participate as well, as they can purchase produce from our market’s vendors and donate those purchases at the harvest time event.

This has the potential to increase foot traffic through our market, media exposure to our market, and support the community all at the same time... making it even more of a destination... a happening place! And it has the added bonus of promoting a very worthy cause, one that will enrich the city, and the greater community, in which we live.

Through the Plant A Row, Grow A Row initiative, people can donate healthy, fresh, nutrient-dense, high quality food to the Food Bank for people who are in need of food, financial and educational support (when it comes to budgeting, shopping, cooking & preparing nutritious meals) in our city. The Edmonton Food Bank has a number of creative supports in place to teach their clients how to use this fresh food simply and easily, and it supplies much of the fresh food that charitable organizations like The Hope Mission and the Salvation Army use to feed their clients in their soup kitchens. This food will not go to waste and will be greatly appreciated.

With this unique partnership between the Southwest Edmonton Farmers’ Market and the Edmonton Food Bank, we will be giving you, our market shoppers, an opportunity to support a charitable cause in an unexpected, meaningful, and interactive way. 

We wanted to share our excitement with you. And we can't wait to see what you grow, and how much food we can collectively raise, purchase and donate to the Edmonton Food Bank. More details will follow...

Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
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Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee