Do you have a passion for educating kids about local food? Do you want to help TLD promote our regions bountiful farmers’ markets? After an overwhelming positive response, we’ve decided to host 5 more Pop-up Farmers Markets this Spring but we can’t do it without your help!
Traverse Bay Intermediate School District Farm to School Program and Taste the Local Difference will be hosting 5 more Spring markets throughout the month of May. These markets will be hosted at 5 regional schools and will be an educational event to introduce students to local food and healthy eating. In addition, The Michigan Health Endowment Fund, which works to improve the health and wellness of Michigan residents, with a special focus on children and seniors, provided TLD with a grant for “Building a Child-Focused Health and Wellness Culture in Northern Michigan.” This included funding to provide teachers with vouchers to spend on produce at the markets. The funding will allow teachers to model behavior and lead by example in purchasing fresh produce for the classroom. All teachers Pre-K through 7th grade will receive $10 and $20 in vouchers, depending on the school size.
We need local food and farm producers, local flowers, and value-added products to make these markets a success. We ask that vendors offer items priced between 25 cents and ranging to $5 for the students to make their own purchasing choices. Educational tools, interactive activities, and food samples are welcome! Please contact Bailey Samp by April 15th at [email protected] for more information or to sign-up as a vendor.
We need vendors for the following markets:
- Northport Public School, Tuesday, May 22nd
- Glen Lake Elementary, Friday, May 25th
- Westwoods Elementary, Tuesday, May 29th
- Buckley School, Wednesday, May 30th
- Mill Creek Elementary, Thursday, May 31st
Check out the response from last season’s pop up farmers markets here!