February 9th was a very gratifying day for us here at the Rockmart farmers market! After a wonderful winter market our community came together as farmers and customers, board members and business owners, as meat eaters and vegetable fanatics; all for the love of a little farmer’s market.
Sausage balls made with sausage from The Falls Farm
Our 2017 Stakeholders meeting was targeted toward any member of the community that has ties to the Rockmart farmers market. Attendees arrived at the theatre building in downtown promptly at 5:30pm. They enjoyed fresh food, locally sourced wine and great conversation before being seated in the auditorium. Our board president, Lee Fugelsoe, gave the report on last year’s market season. Last year our farmers and vendors generated a projected three quarters of a million dollars for Polk county’s economy. 30,000 people took time out of their week to visit us at market. We are both humbled and inspired by the impact our community market has left on the people of Rockmart.
Delicious turnips from spreading oaks served at the stakeholders meeting!
Shonna Kirkpatrick and the rest of the board joined Lee at the front to take questions from the audience. The questions were mainly focused on our SNAP doubling program and continuation of funding for our programs. Our SNAP doubling program is funded partially through a grant from Wholesome Wave Georgia, as well as Wellcare and other private community supporters. Our grant from Wholesome Wave Georgia, which funds 60% of our budget, expires in September of this year. We are in the process of applying for another grant, in addition to campaigning for additional private funding to help us continue some of our programs that have become so important to the community.
From our first market of 2016, to the Farm-To-Table dinner, to our holiday markets, we are grateful for the continued support from our community. We look forward to serving you for many years to come! We hope to see you at market Thursday!