Matching funds raised for our local The Lincoln Park Farmers Market!
For 45 years, our local The Lincoln Park Farmers Market has been a Saturday morning tradition. It has become a meeting point for neighbors, brought fresh produce and curated goods right to our community’s front porch, and helped many small businesses grow. It has also supported positive causes and diverse businesses, through its rockstar leader, Elsa.
Many of the businesses we love today got their start right here as an incubator for our community. I am beyond grateful to Elsa and the volunteers who make this possible, and feel that right now is an important time to give back to them.
Specifically, this year marks an important transition: After several years in the Lincoln Park High School (LPHS) parking lot, the market is shifting locations to the path between the LPHS buildings (with one-third of the parking lot remaining for market use). This change is being made so that LPHS, which has generously donated the parking lot space for years, is able to raise funds through a new parking agreement. The funds are much-needed and will go directly to LPHS programming.
Any change can be difficult, but together we can help our local market thrive in its next chapter, in a footprint that has the potential to add a new charm element to the market. As 43rd Ward Alderman, but also as a long-time customer of The Lincoln Park Farmers Market, I want to help support this transition. If you love our local market as much as I do, you can too! I am launching this GoFundMe to:
- Support the market’s 45th anniversary season through marketing materials
- Invest in signage, setup, and improvements in the new space
- Provide direct support through flexible funds to Elsa, who has dedicated years to running the market without any budget
- Help ensure the market not only continues—but grows
To kick things off, I will match every dollar donated up to $3,000.
That means together, we can raise a meaningful amount of money to support the market this season, as well as Elsa’s creativity in vision and leadership.
Every contribution, large or small, is a vote of confidence in a neighborhood tradition that has given so much to Lincoln Park. Let’s show up for the farmers market the way it has always shown up for us.
See you Saturday mornings from April 25th through November 21st, rain or shine!
- Timmy Knudsen, 43rd Ward Alderman
Organizer
