Farmers Market gives back to the community

Appalachian folk music, fresh produce, and strangers laughing and talking over a free meal – these were some of the sights and sounds at the Berea Farmers Market last Saturday. 

At the heart of the Berea Farmers Market is community – whether it’s giving a local organization a much-needed platform through their community spotlight series, partnering with the Appalachian Community Meal Project (ACM) to provide a free meal, or being a gathering place for farmers and residents. 

Many vendors have been mainstays for several years. 

“It’s a testament to Berea in itself that the community supports the farmers (so) that they’re willing to stay on for that period of time because a lot of markets have high turnover, but we just don’t have that,” Berea Farmers Market board president Gina Hudson said.

Robin Reed of Appalachian Crafts Farm, said that he drives for an hour and 15 minutes to the Berea Farmers Market because of the traffic the market receives on a weekly basis. 

“It’s wonderful. You got music, you got food, and everybody’s easy to talk to,” Reed said. “And of course, I think you can ask any farmer here any question that you want about gardening and they’ll know the answer.” 

The same produce sold at the market was also used to serve a free community meal cooked by a diverse group of ACM volunteers.  

Many people attended the event, sitting together with strangers and getting to know each other over burgers, salad, blueberry cobbler, and more. 

“The core of our mission is to remind people how to live in community by getting them at a table, across from each other, sharing a common goal which is to eat,” Amanda Smith, founder and director of ACM, said. “And what we hope is that helps people build a sense of care, mutual care and justice for each other, so that the community is closer knit and more resilient.” 

ACM’s goal is to provide “equitable and barrier-free access to resources and reorienting folks with the concept of sharing as a community,” according to their brochure.

Besides providing a monthly free community meal, they partner with the Free Community Market (where you can “shop” donated items for free), run a food sharing pantry and are getting a community garden up and running. 

According to Smith, the idea behind a farm-to-fork meal is to create a reciprocal feedback loop where people get fed and nourished but at the same time are supporting their local farmers and economy. 

“We’re excited to get to physically demonstrate what people can do with their diets and their health and even their budgets by really digging into farmers market vendor options,” Smith said. 

The market has vouchers and programs to help people, especially those with limited incomes and children.

For example, the Kentucky Double Dollars program allows people with an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card – which is part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – to double their funds. 

Anyone with an EBT card can double a maximum of $20, meaning they receive 40 dollars for food. All they need to do is bring their card to the market manager.

“We love this program,” Hudson said. “Berea was one of the pilots of that program many, many years ago when they first started doing it.” 

Another feature is their Community Spotlight series sponsored by Just Love Coffee Cafe. This allows non-profits to set up a booth free of charge for promotion, activities, fundraising, and more. 

“We are here today trying to earn money to pay for our 2025 swim team season because with the pool being closed, we had some unexpected expenses,” Berea Dolphins board president Jenny Patten said. 

She was grateful for the opportunity to be a vendor. 

These collaborations are an example of how organizations in Berea are helping each other to help the community despite all sorts of challenges and the amount of work it takes. 

“When we live like a community like we lived forever ago, back at our roots, we end up sharing and we end up having abundance,” Smith said.