On Saturday, January 26, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. St. Luke’s will again hosted an indoor Winter Farmers’ Market, sponsored by Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental organization.
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
