With the final 2009 market planned for Oct. 28, SEED Wayne is tallying the success of its Wednesday Farmers Markets.
About 1,000 consumers patronized the markets each week during the three months of summer. Many of the shoppers bypassed chain grocery stores and made the WSU markets the only stop for all the produce needed in their households.
While most of the shoppers were part of the Wayne State community, others came from the Detroit Public Library, throughout Midtown and beyond. The high demand meant a lot of work for organizers. More vendors were added to offer a greater variety of fruits, vegetables, honey, syrup and eggs.
"This was our first full season organizing a farmers market," says Kami Pothukuchi, director, SEED Wayne. "We now know that it takes a lot of work on the part of many people including partners, staff and volunteers alike. For example, the market's staff and many volunteers put in more than 2,000 hours between June and October to bring the market to the university and Midtown community each week and to ensure that it ran smoothly each time. They pitched tents, counted and surveyed customers, took inventories of products, ran the Bridge Card and OneCard stations, and were available to help vendors and customers. The market was successful because of these folks and our fantastic vendors and customers. We thank them all!"
Prizes winners at Oct. 28 market
As a special feature of this year's final farmers market, organizers asked people last week to participate in a raffle for which prize winners will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to Pothukuchi. Some of the prizes, four coupons worth $10 each, can be used for fruits and vegetables during the final market. The other prizes, two WSU canvas tote bags in which a WSU T-shirt will be placed, and Elizabeth's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, a children's book, can be collected at the SEED Wayne tent at the market.
Harvest dinner and celebration
About 70 guests from the campus and community attended SEED Wayne's second annual Harvest Dinner on Sept. 25. During the event, CLAS Dean Robert Thomas applauded SEED Wayne for advancing WSU's committment to excellence in teaching, research and engagement, and thanked SEED Wayne's community partners.
Read more and see photos at SEED Wayne.
