Fresh Food for West Humboldt Farmers Market

2020

Hello Everyone! We are back at it again for another year. The West Humbolt Farmers Market is a community-run market in Chicago. For 9 years Miss Cornelia Gamble has been making farm-fresh, sustainably grown, fruits and vegetables available to her neighbors.

We are asking again for your support to help this market continue to thrive. This market is needed now more than ever in the current climate of a pandemic, recession, and call for systemic accountability. Food is a basic need and a human right.

For those looking to contribute to black initiatives, this is a black run market for 9 years, in a black community, feeding mostly black families and neighbors, and creating a safe space in a low-income community.

The City of Chicago has generously provided funding and a vendor for the month of June via the Urban Canopy. While grateful, I am not seeing the quality or variety of produce that the market has provided in the past. It cost a total of $10,000 to run the market for the whole summer. Between the contribution from the City and other grants, we still need $5000 to get through the rest of the summer. The funds raised will allow Miss Nitta to purchase directly from the farmers like in the past to ensure the variety and quality our regulars come to rely on.

For those of you who donated last year, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

In addition to financial support, we are also seeking out long term grants and funder commitments. If you know any organizations that would like to become a sponsor, make a yearly commitment, or volunteer on the ground please contact us.

Check out Miss Nitta, featured on the Chicago Mayer's office social media page. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdqyBLjN0A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Check out an interview with Miss Nitta on Chicago Que4radio.org https://youtu.be/IkzeY1cLNns

2019 info below

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to those who supported us in 2019!

You know how sometimes you can meet a person who is just pure light and love or step into to place that feels like a warm hug? That is what being at the West Humbolt Farmers Market and meeting Miss Nitta feels like to me. The market has been going for 8 years with the support of a city grant for the first 5. Since then the market has been going strong and run completely by volunteers from the neighborhood (except for my position as the Link/Snap cashier funded by the city).

Check out pictures on facebook @WestHumboltFarmersMarket

The West Humbolt Farmers Market is open every Saturdays from 10am - 2pm from June to October. There is produce of course AAAAND events run by community members like line dancing, a DJ, music performances, kids activities, BINGO, and more. The cooking demos/competition draws a crowd using produce available at the market that day & giving customers tasty inspiration and new recipe ideas, (like kholrabi fries mmm!)

When the watermelons are ready we also have customers coming and waiting 30 minutes before the market opens to get first pick.

To make the market happen Miss Nitta goes downtown at 6am every Saturday to meet the farmers, buys fresh quality produce, brings it back to West Humbolt for the market for sale. It's loving called the dollar market because most items are $1 or at most $5, ranging from greens to watermelon. This fact is extremely important because the quality of produce that I have seen at low income markets tends to be much lower, but please do look through the pictures and judge for yourself. The goal of the West Humbolt Market is for neighbors in the community to have the option to purchase FRESH produce IN their community. Food that brings up conversation like my grandma used to cook this when I visited her down south.

I look forward to this market each week, but I have recently learned that the market runs at a loss. So I am reaching out to you to help cushion the start of the market season. For all markets the start of the season is slow as the food is still growing, there is more variety and volume later on and customers are remembering to come back to shop with us.

Our goal in 2019 is to make at least $1500 to cover the next 3 slow weeks for produce. 100% of proceeds go towards the cost of the market! ($950 has already been spent out of pocket on the start up cost of tables, baskets, bag, table cloths, tents, table cloths, and week 1 produce). Your contribution will help make sure that fresh produce can continue to be purchased and not come out of any volunteers pockets. If we can meet all of the food cost additional funds can be used to compensate people working to set up and break down the market, which is a small but meaningful start.

Every $$ helps. Thank you in advance for your support to this homegrown community market. This markets does not run with out the support of others and I am hoping that we can raise enough in time to help cover the produce cost.

The West Humbolt Farmers Market is open Saturdays from 10am - 2pm running June 29 - October 5th.

Cash, Link/SNAP/EBT, WIC & Senior FMNP coupons are accepted.

PICTURES TO COME

https://www.facebook.com/WestHumboltFarmersMarket/?modal=admin_todo_tour

*Please reach out if you would like more stats & stories about how the market has grown.

Pictures from 2020

Pictures are from 2019

Swiss Chard, 3 Lettuces, Butterball Caggabge

We have a full spread at the market!

Honey Crisp Apples and Curly Mustard Greens.

Green and Yellow Zucchini

Purple and White Spring Onions

Epazote & Verdolagas

Cauliflower

Tomatoes (Green Tomatoes some weeks)

Kholarbi (a growing favorite)

Local Honey, Preserves, Pastries, and Skin Care Products

2018 - The Market is open rain or shine!

October 2018

Cabbage, Carving Pumpkins, Spaghetti Squash, Cantaloupe melon, Collards, Basil, Onions, Granny Smith Apples, Fuji Apples, Gala Apples, Purple Muscadine Grapes, Watermelon.

Basil, Epazote, Beets, Swiss Chard, Kale, Collards.