By Suzanne Girdner
BACKGROUND: Marigold Market (marigoldmarket.square.site) received a Spring 2021 Planning Grant and a Fall 2021 Implementation Mini-Grants through Georgia Organics’ community outreach initiative, Georgia Food Oasis.
Saturdays 10am-2pm, May 1-Dec. 11
Pittard Park at 115 Parkview Rd. Winterville, GA 30683.
LEADERSHIP: Sherrie Anderson, Farmers Market Manager; Laura Ney, UGA Clarke County Extension Agent; Dodd Ferrelle, Mayor of Winterville
FUNDING: Funds were used to assist with launching in-person activities, marketing outreach, and market coordination.
Lydia Engelsen of Sungate Farm
WINTERVILLE—At first glance you may think Marigold Market is a quaint Saturday farmers market at Pittard Park that’s always been there—not a market only in its second season. Launching in the pandemic Spring of 2020, Marigold was immediately forced to pivot to a pre-order drive-thru market. And then relaunched in Spring 2021 as traditional in-person farmers market. Like many markets it’s been a challenging season of reinvention but luckily Marigold Market has an experienced and resourceful market manager Sherrie Anderson volunteering her time and expertise to meet an array of challenges still unfolding as a grassroots market and food hub.
Sherrie Anderson and Mayor Dodd Ferrelle
After surviving and witnessing the enthusiasm for the market in 2020, Anderson realized many of the Marigold Market farm partners were very small-scale farmers who had barriers to access marketplaces. Many farmer partners could not afford to sell at other farmers markets due to vendor fees and smaller crop volumes. Anderson also notes that their farm partners are predominately woman, Black or Brown-owned farmers and/or market-gardeners. This prompted Anderson and UGA Athens-Clarke County extension agent, Laura Ney to think about additional ways Marigold could facilitate market opportunities for these small-scale farmers—what if Marigold Market operated with small-farmer prosperity as its cornerstone? What if Marigold Market became a hub of market opportunities for these farmers and small food businesses?
This was an idea that well-aligned with Mayor Dodd Ferrelle’s aspirations of attracting more small businesses into Winterville, a small city next to Athens that lacks a full-service grocery store and reliable public transport. Winterville residents must drive several miles into East Athens for weekly food shopping and needs. Mayor Ferrelle began to think about ways to leverage existing assets to foster more economic activity while meeting the food access needs of residents. What if Marigold Market was the opportunity to address both of these needs?
Marigold leadership quickly aligned their visions for Winterville residents and nearby farms, and during its first and second market season installed cold storage in a former park pavilion at Pittard Park. Marigold Market food hub was born in the winter of 2021, and is a place for farmers and local organizations to safely store produce. At the same time Marigold applied for and received a commercial kitchen license for an adjacent kitchen pavilion at Pittard Park so farmers and food entrepreneurs had an immediate space for creating value-added products. The day I visited with Marigold, Sungate Farm was finishing three small batches of salsa with an overabundance of tomatoes.
Cold storage in a former park pavilion at Pittard Park, Marigold Market.
As Marigold progresses through the second season, they continue to refine and develop a plan for making Winterville a hub for small-farm businesses. I visited Sherrie Anderson to see and learn more about the personality of the market and farm partners, and how Winterville is transforming big ideas into local action:
Tell us a little about yourself?
Sherrie: I’m a Native Floridian that moved to Athens in 2012 and earned Bachelors in Business Administration and Leadership. In free time I love to read, go for hikes, and thoroughly enjoy sunsets and waterfalls. I’ve always been involved with volunteering and community service opportunities wherever I’ve lived because fostering community connection is important to me. Being a mom of 8 and grandma to 9 keeps me busy and blessed. I love watching super-hero movies and TV-shows because you see so much leadership in their characters in how they make hard choices. My other creative outlets are sewing and playing the piano.
Why are you a local food activist/advocate?
Sherrie: I have been food insecure, so I know what it’s like. That experience solidified my belief that everyone absolutely deserves fresh healthy food without any form of discrimination. There should be no shame in procuring food—people are often working very hard but do not have enough money to buy the food they need, and they feel ashamed they cannot purchase what they need. My vision for Marigold and the Winterville community is to facilitate an experience were everyone can participate and add value to community food projects whatever their means. We see value in what life skills people may have developed, maybe it’s time and transportation for food distribution, or simply volunteering at market, or helping a farmer gather produce. We want residents to find ways for themselves to contribute in a way that fits their life and talents while it builds up our community.
A favorite way of celebrating with food?
Sherrie: I love getting in the kitchen, making things up and just seeing what happens. Just allow your creativity to flow. I do not follow recipes—and today, a few of my kids are the same way. One time I remember buying an ice-cream cake that said “every day is a day worth celebrating.” Isn’t that’s such a good mantra to take to heart, how can our busy culture step away and cultivate more celebratory meals and moments in an everyday sense?
DeijhonYearby of Cozybear Market Garden
How would you describe the market?
Sherrie: Marigold is a very happy market, and we try really hard to head off any signals of stress. Everyone is very helpful. There’s a beautiful spirit of helping one another versus competing with one another. There’s a sense of comradery farmer to farmer, vendor to vendor. Of course, Winterville and Pittard Park is just a very peaceful and idyllic location for a market with lots of shade, a playground, pavilions, basketball, trails, and more. We are also just off the Firefly Trail, too.
Explain how the partners work together—UGA extension, the City of Winterville, Envision Athens, and Sherrie?
Sherrie: Envision Athens and City of Winterville started collaborating in 2019 on fresh food access in the area. In early 2020, Mayor Ferrelle and Laura Ney from UGA Extension hosted a meeting at the train depot for farmers.
When I attended that meeting, I thought I would volunteer in a minor support capacity. It didn’t take long to realize the Mayor’s vision that all citizens should have access to local, affordable, fresh food so they can live their best life aligned with my passion. He advocates on behalf of Market at City Council and with local businesses. UGA helps with research and fine details of executing the market. I bring the vision to life on a daily basis. You could say we are the three musketeers of the market with our passion, commitment, and fortitude.
Jean Young of Freedom City Gardens
What does success look like for the market in 1 year? 3 years?
Sherrie: Higher SNAP/EBT redemption and more diversity of customers at market. In a year that looks like having better representation of the community at the market, so it reflects the inclusivity we seek. In 3 years expand into a new commercial kitchen space to better facilitate food recovery and support of value-added food producers.
There’s been a demand for this for a long time which only continues to grow. We would like to facilitate a sustainable local food system that will also benefit the local economy for years to come.
How can people—farmers, consumers, businesses get involved?
Sherrie: Vendors and farmers don’t have to be a vendor at the market to participate in food hub development. It is easy for them to offload or drop off any fresh food that might get composted after a market day in Athens or Atlanta. We would love more local businesses involved and look for ways Marigold can partner with them—financial or in-kind, or ways to cross pollinate our economic activities.
We are so thankful for the consistency of our consumers. One way they can help is to spread the word via their social media and word of mouth. If you’d like to attend or get involved email marigoldmarketwinterville@gmail.com to learn more.
Any special features you’re especially proud of or would like to highlight?
Sherrie: Mayor’s vision of rethinking the traditional farmers market and making it accessible to everyone—we support just compensation of farmers but also seek to meet the needs of our residents.
I was once told you have to pick a side in the local food system, ‘you’re either an advocate for farmer; or you’re an advocate for consumer.’ And I wholeheartedly disagree. We strive to challenge the stereotypes and ways of doing things to make a more inclusive and viable food system for all.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Sherrie: Winterville is Gilmore Girls meets Mayberry, it’s such a great community. Please come visit us on Saturdays, 10-2, at Pittard Park.