Chris Stedile
Rossland News
After eight years of serving fresh foods and great service, the Rossland Mountain Market is looking for some permanent fixtures. The farmer’s market owns next to no infrastructure, aside from a table and tent.
To help remedy the situation, the market is hosting a month long fund raiser with some creative projects.
“We were incorporated in January as a legitimate society and we acknowledged that having our infrastructure provided by volunteers was not a reliable nor sustainable way for this market to operate,” said board member, Miche Warwick.
In addition to the recent incorporation, the Mountain Market also received the Small Farmer’s Market of the Year 2014 award from the British Columbia Association of Farmer’s Markets.
The market’s site on Yodel — a local crowd sourcing, fund raiser website — states this fund raiser is intended to give the market the ability to continue living up to this standard, not only for the farmers and artisans that come from all over the Kootenays, but also for the wonderful town of Rossland.
“We’re trying to raise $8,500 in the month of April to help us build infrastructure for the market,” Warwick continued, “To raise this money each of the board members have created personal challenges that they will be doing through the month of April.”
These challenges will hopefully bring in the supporters and donors needed to fund the infrastructure project.
One such member, Kristen Renn, has already put on quite the display for the first in her series of eight in-your-face displays of activism. Renn’s challenge is called ‘Acts of Activism: Me and the Masses.’
Her opening act was to raise awareness around plastic bags and stop their overuse.
“She called on all her friends to donate all their plastic bags,” Warwick explained, “That amazing dress she’s wearing is made from plastic bags and she stood in front of Ferraro’s in it for two hours.’
Renn had with her, a large board of information on plastic bags and was engaging with anyone who would hear.
Warwick has her own challenge as well, just like the other members, she explained.
“My personal challenge is to research, locate, purchase, prepare and share 30 local foods in 30 days.”
She explains through their campaign site, why this initiative is important to her, personally.
“I believe that every single person on this planet deserves access to a healthy food system and our industrial food system is not healthy and I want to help more people understand the benefits of eating local food - nutritionally, environmentally and economically.”
Her third point ties in directly to the Mountain Market, “If we all work towards supporting our local food system in a better way, we are all working together to create a better future for the planet and humanity.”
Two other challenges have been issued by fellow board members, Sarah Elizabeth and Kathleen Hill.
Elizabeth’s reads, “During the month of April, I will spin, knit, crochet, weave, felt, and sew to create a one-of-a-kind Art Blanket, patchwork quilt style.”
While Hill swears, “Thirty times in thirty days I will stand on my head in a setting where food is grown or raised.” This particular challenge has already received $165.
Warwick finished, “We need this in order for us to exist in the future and make certain if and when board members move on, the farmer’s market can still operate. If we can build an infrastructure that we can pass on into the future, then we’ve created a sustainable market.”
Anyone wishing to support the Mountain Market’s cause can head over to rosslandmountainmarket.yodel.org.