As the market has started to open up again, many of you have asked, “What can I do to support the market?”
You can help by making a donation today. Our donors and Friends of the Market grow our mission to support a healthier community through partnerships, educational programming, and support for organic farmers and local food producers.
Donate
This year, your support will help us to:
Operate a safe and healthy marketplace as we emerge from COVID-19
- Ensure the viability of a supportive marketplace for more than 100 small local farms and businesses who employ over 625 individuals and depend on us as their primary storefront.
- Provide vendors with guidance on marketing, regulations and operations.
Support farmers and food makers through the Next Stage Grant program
- Lead a committee review of a record number of applications totaling over $113,000 from local farmers and food makers seeking support for hardship or growing toward the “next stage” of their businesses.
- Fund and support 15 projects with grants totaling $73,415 ranging from deer fences to protect hard-earned harvests, to irrigation systems for leased farmland, to projects that increase efficiencies, enabling farms to scale-up.
Ensure access to healthy, sustainably-produced local food
- Increase awareness of our Market Bucks program, which stretches the buying power of shoppers using EBT cards by matching purchases dollar-per-dollar up to $10 at the market.
- Provide 60 families in Cedar Riverside with free, weekly market produce through our food donation program Greens for Good.
Donate
Your donation to the Mill City Farmers Market Charitable Fund as a donor and Friend of the Market is tax-deductible.
Thank you again for all of the ways you are committed to supporting a thriving local food community. It’s truly a team effort, and everything you do – from shopping at the market, making a donation, to simply spreading the word about your favorite farmer or maker with a friend – has a reverberating impact.
More reasons to donate
By joining the Friends of the Market at any level, you become part of a circle of supporters that receive exclusive communications and perks designed for folks who are devoted fans and passionate about making a difference in the local food community.
