The Roanoker May/June 2024 - 74

Best of 2024 * the winners
COMMODITIES &
CAMARADERIE
Grandin Village Farmers Market is a flourishing
hub of local food and community connection.
he vision for Local Environmental
Agriculture Project (LEAP)'s
Grandin Village Farmers Market
was simple: create a space where sustainable
growing practices were encouraged
and farmers - established and
emerging - could sell the produce they
grew. Fifteen years later and the market
is thriving more than ever, bustling
with vendors and shoppers who see the
value in supporting small businesses
and making local food accessible to all.
As it turns out, many of the market's
biggest fans are our readers; they
couldn't sing its praises enough in this
year's Best of Roanoke poll! Christina
Nifong, LEAP's
communications
manager, says
the organization
is ecstatic that
their original market
was awarded
in two brand-new
T
categories: " Favorite Farmers Market "
(platinum) and " Best Place to Buy Seasonal
Produce " (gold).
Locales where people from all walks
of life can get to know one another
while directly supporting the local economy
by purchasing affordable, homegrown
and homemade products directly
from their producers are far and few in
between, but Grandin Village Farmers
Market is one of them. " Our nonprofit
works hard to create a welcoming place
for all, one that is fun for families, Grandin
Village neighbors and anyone else
looking for good food grown and produced
by local farmers and businesses, "
says Nifong.
Another aspect
that makes
it unique is that
the majority of
the farmers in
attendance are
only in their 30s
- much lower than the state's average
of 59. " Supporting these young farmers
is a way of creating more resilient food
systems where we live. "
LEAP also runs the Tuesday West
End Farmers Market, their Mobile Market
and is in the process of opening a
retail store on Patterson Avenue. A celebration
of the milestone will take place
in the fall once the construction of the
new West End Farmers Market pavilion
is completed.
Nifong and the rest of the LEAP team
are so appreciative of the enthusiasm
farmers, producers, musicians, artists,
business owners and partners continue
to show for the Grandin market, even
after all these years. " The farmers market
wouldn't be the welcoming, thriving
place that it is without each and every
person who is connected to it each and
every week. "
Grandin Village Farmers Market's
2024 Saturday markets kicked off on
April 6 and will run from 8 a.m. to noon
each week into December. Learn more
about the market, its monthly special
events, including Strawberry Jam slated
for June 1, and more at leapforlocalfood.
org/find-food. -SR
LEAP Grandin Village Farmers Market
Platinum Winner: Favorite Farmers Market
Gold WInner: Best Place to Buy Seasonal Produce
74 MAY/JUNE 2024
TheRoanoker.com
COURTESY OF LEAP
http://leapforlocalfood.org/find-food http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker May/June 2024

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