On Saturday, January 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. St. Luke’s hosted an indoor Winter Farmers’ Market, sponsored by Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental organization.
In addition to the opportunity to shop, lunch is available for purchase (soups, breads, beverages, and desserts). Bring a friend and enjoy the market!
Each year, Faith in Place helps congregations in the Chicago area bring locally and sustainably produced food to their communities during the winter months through a series of one-time winter farmers markets. These farmers markets:
- Provide an additional source of income for vendors during the off-season
- Promote sustainable farming methods and economic justice for regional farm families
- Encourage healthy, wholesome eating
- Support the building of relationships between producers and consumers
- Help farming families during times of crisis through the Farmer Crisis Fund
The Farmer Crisis Fund — Rather than requiring farmers to pay a fee to participate in these markets, Faith in Place asks them to donate 10% of what they take in at the market (after a threshold amount) to an Illinois Farmer Crisis Fund modeled after Wisconsin’s Harvest of Hope Fund which, for almost 20 years, has been giving monetary gifts up to $1,000 to farmers in crisis due to illness or unexpected expenses.
About the Vendors — Many vendors sell meats, cheeses, eggs and honey from locally-raised animals or produce grown on local farms (within 250 miles of Chicago). Others sell value-added products like salsa, baked goods, jam and soap. At least 25% of the ingredients in each value-added product are locally grown.
Read the story in the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate
