by Rebecca Vaught, 2023 No Kid Hungry Summer Youth Ambassador
For Frankfort residents happening to drive down Wilkinson Boulevard on Thursday mornings, the collection of cars, people, and fresh food may leave them wondering, “What’s going on at the market!?” The farmer’s market is open to the public on Tuesday and Saturday mornings when our vendors are set up for normal sales. Thursday mornings, however, are a far different style of market. Both online orders and Farm-to-Frankfort workplace deliveries are packaged and picked up each Thursday morning.
Credits: Morgan Tolentino Photography
For vendors, volunteers, and market employees, the day starts around 7am, when set-up begins. Stacks of crates and lines of carefully named cardboard boxes adorn the front end of the pavilion. Vendors set up like a typical market, laying their goods on their tables, only this day, each watermelon, bag of potatoes, bouquet, and other wares are marked with a name. Sometime around 8, Online sales manager Risa Yost speaks to the vendors and volunteers with any helpful information (last week it was a note to leave out the hefty watermelons from the cardboard boxes). Then, the fun begins! Inside each box is a list of items the customer purchased and which vendor they were from. Volunteers make their way around the market, stopping by each vendor listed to pick up a pre-labelled bundle. Once a box is completed and checked, it is loaded and delivered to one of our 15 workplace Farm-to-Frankfort locations. Once our boxes are whisked away, attention turns to pick-up orders. Last week, 50+ shoppers picked up their orders from the market, without ever having to leave their car!
For those without the time on Tuesdays or Saturdays, or who enjoy the convenience of being able to order online, Thursday pick-ups offer an easy way to access the market’s incredible vendors. Interested in participating? Our online marketplace is simple to use! https://fcmarket.localfoodmarketplace.com/Index. Just create an account, shop from Monday at noon to Tuesday at 5, pay a $2.50 service fee, and pick up at 404 Wilkinson Blvd from 9:30-10am on Thursdays!
If you are interested in Farm-to-Frankfort workplace deliveries and work at one of the 15 locations that we deliver to (https://www.franklincountyfarmersmarket.org/farm-to-frankfort), contact Risa at sales@franklincountyfarmersmarket.org, and she’ll get you set up. Once you register, the process will be similar in that you’ll place your orders online, only this time they’ll be delivered straight to your workplace!
Interested in being one of our incredible volunteers who donate 250+ hours to online market? (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpPinfmIUVC2V748E6yXgM0T568rR5meyacYiTrd_yJdAoBg/viewform) and indicate that you’d like to help with our online markets! We look forward to seeing you around!
By: Rebecca Vaught
