Chicago Area Stories

Building Community Through a Farmer’s Market

The Glenwood Sunday Market located in the Rogers Park neighborhood, in the northern part of the city of Chicago, launched in June of 2010 and is apparently thriving in the midst of our recession.  According to its full time market director, Sheree Moratto, this weekly market generated the two highest revenue days in 2010 for one farmer vendor compared to any other farmer’s market he participates in during the year.  Running weekly from June through October during its regular season and monthly from November through May, the Glenwood Sunday Market has also spawned two local food storefront or restaurant businesses.

Nearly self-supporting from the get go, the Glenwood Market is officially a program of the Rogers Park Business Alliance which acted as the market’s fiscal agent (legal non-profit parent) initially to help get it organized and has now formally adopted the market as a separate program.  Today, the ad hoc committee that founded the market has evolved into a formal 14-member leadership council with a long term commitment to its success and development.

A long-time resident of the area, Moratto attributes the initial success of this farmer’s market to its mission and openness or flexibility in terms of what the market offers local residents. The mission here is similar to many other markets in terms of bringing fresh food to the tables of local residents.    While some community members argued that all food at the market should be certified organic, the Glenwood Market is guided by local and sustainable and organic whenever possible as its major criterion for producers.

One the more interesting aspects of this market was the way the organizing group used its volunteer program to help foster community involvement.  Early on, according to Moratto, the founding group wanted to have local residents volunteer to help vendors unload, set up and tear down at the market as well as providing key support in education, marketing, finance and fundraising.They spread the word and called a meeting to sign up volunteers expecting about 20 people.  About 75 showed up.

With that much potential in the room, the group decided a “speed dating” approach to matching potential volunteer interest with participation was in order.  They put their various committee heads each at a table with a number.  Then they had the volunteers count off and rotated groups from table to table with each potential volunteer spending 3-minutes with a committee head representing finance, marketing, logistics, fundraising etc. The result was “fun” according to Moratto since residents gained face to face exposure and instant involvement.  More than 45 of the original 75 are still volunteers today.

This is just one example of how a farmer’s market promotes community cohesion and involvement as a model for living your life local. Stay tuned for more examples.