by Ashley Todd, Farmers’ Market Coordinator
As the COVID-19 outbreak has developed in our region, retailers have had to make really difficult decisions about how to keep shoppers and staff safe, and whether the risks of staying open for business outweigh the benefits.
Here at People’s, the Collective Management has been in the unique position of having to do that for both our store and our Farmers’ Market. While the folks have generally been grateful for the store staying open, we have heard many concerns about our decision to continue holding the weekly Farmers’ Market.
We decided to keep the market open for three main reasons:
Supporting small farmers & producers
Many of the vendors at People's rely on farmers markets as a primary source of their income. On top of that, this is already a lean time of year for many farmers who have invested in summer plantings but don’t have a whole lot to sell right now. We are encouraging farmers to take online pre-orders if they can, to pre-package set-price bags of groceries, and to do anything else they can to move shoppers through the market as quickly as possible. But we also know that many farmers do not have the time or capacity to take on the additional workload of setting up online stores & CSAs. Vendors who do have other retail options are being asked to take time off from the market so we can focus on supporting those who rely on markets as their primary source of income.
Increasing food access for lower income shoppers
We are concerned about how cancelling the market could impact our lower-income shoppers. Folks can't generally use SNAP benefits to shop online, even if they are purchasing directly from farmers. In addition, People's provides up to $10 in additional funds to people using SNAP at the Farmers' Market (and up to $20 throughout April!). Despite the small footprint of our market, we distribute more SNAP matching funds than most other markets in the Portland metro area - around $500 per week to ~50 families. These funds are only available at Farmers' Markets, and it feels important to keep this program running during a time when so many folks have lost income & jobs.
Providing a healthier shopping option
We heard from some elderly & vulnerable shoppers that they felt safer shopping outside in the fresh air, and that they prefer to buy food directly from growers & producers, since it has likely passed through fewer hands. We also heard that our small store felt crowded and unsafe, even with the 10 shopper limit.
We are doing everything we can to keep shoppers, vendors, and staff safe & healthy, and have implemented lots of new market guidelines. In addition, the courtyard is closed to vendors until further notice, market stalls are spaced at least 3 feet apart, and we have cancelled all non-essential programming (music, kids' activities, arts & crafts, cooking demos, etc) until further notice.
Like our store, the market plays an essential role in our community’s health, well-being, and resiliency. We all need to eat, after all. So while we invite folks to continue shopping at the Farmers’ Market knowing it might meet their needs better, we also respect those who choose not to.
