EcoTuesday February: Delving Deeper - Growhio drives local food success!

Join us Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 5:30 PM

Galleria at Erieview

1301 East Ninth St., Cleveland, OH

Price: $5.00/per person in advance ($10 at the door)

Register

Come one, come all and hear a nice In-Depth follow up to a snapshot presentation from Growhio, one of several new but essential local food initiatives emerging from the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 (first year summit) and going strong three years later.  We were happy the folks at Growhio reached out to us and requested the opportunity to share with everyone a deep dive: a great history of progress, the latest developments brewing, and current key projects to benefit those who want to get involved in growing and specifically - marketing their produce with special benefits and incentives.  We'll also hear great perspectives from local market managers, current vendors, and other key stakeholders who will share firsthand their perspectives from being involved.  We'll also have YOU who attend the opportunity to offer your best ideas, suggestions, and hopes to get plugged in to the local food movement and programs that Growhio is driving forward.

It is important stuff, and I've enjoyed tracking this group's progress since engaging with this group three years ago and helping contribute to its development.   Join us for a special session with Growhio on Feb 28th!  Fresh, free local food and drink for all.   Call 216-849-8651 with any questions!  BY: SUDHIR KADE RAGHUPATHY

GardenWalk 2012 Applications Now Available

GardenWalk Cleveland is a free, self- guided tour of gardens, urban farms, vineyards and orchards in neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio taking place July 21-22, 2012. Tour at your own pace in each of the four designated Cleveland neighborhoods. Each neighborhood on the Walk has a headquarters where you’ll find car parking, bike parking, restrooms, water and maps. If you are interested in having your garden on the tour, please apply online today!

Happenings at Kamm's Corners Farmers' Market Sunday

Kamm's Corners Farmers Market This Sunday, February 12th Cretan Party Center   3853 W. 168th St. Cleveland, Oh 44111 Don't Miss a Beet: ~Spread the word! ~Volunteer! ~Sponsor! ~Shop!                         Neighborhood News:   Grant Proposals Sought From Neighborhood Groups! Neighborhood Connections is a small grants program designed to assist Cleveland neighborhood groups to strengthen the social network in their communities. Grants are intended to spur small, grassroots community efforts, and they range from $500 to $5,000. Any resident-led or community group is eligible to apply, including those that aren't recognized as 501(c)(3) organizations. The next deadline for Neighborhood Connections funding is Friday, February 10th at 5 p.m. If you are interested in learning more, please click here. Featuring... Limited Cold Storage Veggies, Meat (now more selections), Cow & Goat Cheese, Goat Milk, Eggs, Pasta, Bakery, Jelly, Salsa, Hot Sauce, Spices, Olive Oil, Honey, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Pierogies, Gyros & Prepared Greek Food, Soaps, Lotions, Essential Oils, and more! Plus... -Music of the Market CD's - only $10! -Growhio Local Food Guides - only $5!   Now Offering More Meat Selections...  Joining our market and adding to the fabulous selection of Tea Hills Farms is Bluebird Meadows Farm! Owners Chris and Julie Blankenship pasture raise growth hormone and antibiotic free pork and beef. They offer a wide array of products with a special focus on eight different types of pork bratwurst.   Coming February 12th...   Kamm's Corners Farmers Market sponsor Rocksolid Stone Works will offer weekly raffle prizes during the 2012 season! One lucky winner will also receive 30 square feet of solid surface counter top and a stainless steel sink. Tickets will be available starting at the February 12th indoor market. Office Space Available at River's Edge    Locate your business at River’s Edge. Tucked away within the heart of the West Park neighborhood in Cleveland, River’s Edge is easily accessible for you and your clients. They have flexible office space available to fit your needs. For more information, please contact Maureen Powers at 216-688-1111 x318 ormaureen@riversedgecleveland.com.     West Park Community Garden Plots Available! For more info contact Karen Stross at 216-941-1413 orbkstross@ameritech.net.   Mark Your Calendar... Monthly Indoor Markets:   THIS Sunday! March 11th April 1st May 6th   PLEASE NOTE: April and May Indoor Market dates have been changed due to Easter and the Hooley.    Growhio Offers New Vendor Incubator!     Growhio is continuing its vendor assistance program through 2012! Under the program, furnished vendor "incubator" booth space and technical assistance is available at eight Cleveland area farmers markets for new vendors. The program is open to farmers who have not vended at a farmers market before and will sell specialty crops (i.e. fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey and/or maple syrup). If you are interested in participating in the vendor assistance program, please email info@growhio.org to let us know!     Subscribe now for Growhio updates!   Indoor Market Vendor Roster!   Blaze Gourmet Bluebirds Meadow Farms City Club Catering Hummingbird Creations Jenny’s Sweets Jimmy’s JamJorgensen’s Apiary Lucy’s Sweet Surrender back in February! Needham Gardens Ohio City PastaOhio Farm Direct Ornery Goat Dairy Pierogies of Cleveland Smith Fruit Farm SpicehoundTea Hills Farms The Olive TapTroubadour Coffee  White Family Farm   We proudly accept  food assistance benefits (EBT) and credit/debit cards.     Fairview Hospital, Kamm’s Corners Development Corporation, Kamm’s Plaza, Neighborhood Connections(Program of The Cleveland Foundation), Metro Health,Priority Home Health Care, Rocksolid Stone Works, and River’s Edge Center.   This newsletter is brought to you by City Club Catering.  Get more with your Ohio Direction Card  An Extra $5! When you use your EBT card at KCFM and participating farmers markets, receive an extra five dollars in tokens to spend there. Details here. 17407 Lorain Avenue, Suite 200 | Cleveland, OH 44111 US

Happenings at Tremont Farmers' Market Tuesday

Winter Market Location  Holy Ghost Greek (Byzantine)  Catholic Church and Cultural Center  2420 W.14 St, on the corner of Kenilworth Ave.   Parking available at the Church, across the street at OLA St. Joseph and on Kenilworth Ave.

Hello, Market Folk. Yes, it is that time once again,  to pack up your cloth bags, make your shopping list and head on down to TFM.

Here is some of what will be at market: Abby's Kitchen: Ohio Apple jam, Red Raspberry jam, Cherry Conserve, Blueberry jam and more all made with local fruit (except the cherry). Blaze Gourmet will bring some pretty darn tasty Salsas, Hot Sauces, and a Very Positive Attitude. Godmother's Pizza will have their usual delicious pizza, breads, marinaras and more. J & R Farms will have meats and eggs. Sale items: Hamburger patties; Cajun, Cajun with Cheese brats and Lorenzo sausage, all 25% off! Lucky Penny Creamery: a selection of their goat cheeses. Morningside Farm will be bringing garlic and potatoes! Ohio Farm Direct: All kinds of grass-fed cow cheeses.  Organic. Posh Pierogies will have pierogies. Red Basket Farm: greens, potatoes, onions, honey, maple syrup and whatever surprises are ready for harvesting! t. by Sarah will have teas and tisanes and a few fun items Valley City Fungi will definitely have spawn plugs and a shiitake grow log or two, as well as garlic, and what mushrooms have decided to get it together by tomorrow! EBT Proudly accepted. EBT Incentive Program still in effect. Participants who use more than $5 from their Ohio Direction Cards receive an extra $5 to spend at the market.  Join us on March 9! Click HERE See you Tuesday! Peace and Good Eats.  Jody Lathwell, Market Manager

Happenings at Tremont Farmers' Market

Dear Market Folks, We are ready to stretch our 2012 market legs!  Hope you have Feb 7 on your calendar, because we will be setting up at Holy Ghost (Byzantine) Catholic Church and Community from 4-7pm.  More details will follow in an upcoming email. We would also like to invite you to our really fun annual benefit! RSVP HERE to reserve tickets. More about this upcoming season:        Farmers' Market Vendor ProgramAvailable at our 8 participating markets for start-up vendors to help reduce the risk involved in trying out selling at a farmers' market. The program is open to farmers who have not vended at a farmers' market before and will sell specialty crops (i.e. fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey and maple syrup). If you are interested in participating, please email us at info@growhio.org by March 1, 2012 to let us know! Peace and good eats! Jody Lathwell, Market Manager tremontmarket@yahoo.com www.tremontfarmersmarket.com 216-575-0920

Rep. Fudge Applauds New School Meal Standards

REP. FUDGE APPLAUDS NEW SCHOOL MEAL STANDARDS

WASHINGTON, DC--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled new standards for school meals today that will help nearly 32 million kids receive more nutritious foods during the school day.  The new standards require both fruit and vegetables to be offered every day of the week, substantially increase offerings of whole grain-rich foods, ensure proper portion size based on a child's age, and focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium. 

Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), a strong advocate for children's health and wellness, applauded the new requirements and thanked the administration for raising school meal standards for the first time in more than fifteen years.

"Nearly one in three children is overweight or obese.  These children are on track to have a shorter lifespan than their parents, which is simply unacceptable.  Improving standards is the first step in combating preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease due to overweight and obesity.  Let's take this momentum and continue to improve the foods our children eat."

When proposed new standards were issued in 2011, Congresswoman Fudge worked with USDA to ensure they would not adversely affect the budgets of local schools.  The new standards are expected to cost $3.2 billion over the next five years, less than half the estimated cost of the proposed standards. 

Congresswoman Fudge is dedicated to the cause of eradicating childhood obesity.  In the last year, she sponsored:

• H.Res. 2795, Fit for Life, a comprehensive approach to addressing the obesity crisis by improving the quality of and access to food, advancing preventative measures, expanding treatment of obesity in children and encouraging physical activity in underserved communities, was introduced in 2011.
• H.Res. 339, designates September 2011 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  In Ohio and around the nation during the month of September, parents, schools, and health care providers will promote fitness and nutrition for our kids.  The bill has support from over 30 national organizations.

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Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market contributes over $1 million to the local economy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 19, 2011

Contact:
Jennifer Kelley
(216) 526-3803
jenny@kelleygreenweb.com

Darlene Wolnik
(504) 861-4485,
darlene@marketumbrella.org

Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market contributes

over $1 million to the local economy

marketumbrella.org preliminary findings from economic impact

study on the Cleveland farmers market

On Sunday, January 8th at 3853 West 168th Street, fresh food will change hands for cash as it does indoors the second Sunday of Each month November through May and outdoors every Sunday June – October since the Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market opened in 2007. On this particular Sunday the organizers will share preliminary economic impact findings prepared by nationally renowned public market think tank, marketumbrella.org, with the release of their 2011 Economic Impact Study.

According to the report, the Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market operates twenty nine Sundays a year with a combined economic impact of $1,111,224.25 upon its vendors, host neighborhoods, and surrounding region. The report is generated by SEED (a web application) developed by the New Orleans-based public market organization, marketumbrella.org, to capture what Executive Director Richard McCarthy describes as “an often surprising if not furtive economic impact of the original business incubator, the farmers market.”

The numbers appear to support this claim: The Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market attracts 16,370 visits from shoppers over a year. This results in gross combined receipts of $ 283,969.24. SEED also reports that 44% of Market shoppers spend money at nearby businesses resulting in $252,854.07 in projected gross receipts and an annual contribution of $18,964.05 to local sales tax revenue.

"When Kamm's Corners Development, along with an enthusiastic group of founding volunteers, opened the market in 2007, part of the reason was to realize the economic spin-off to benefit new and existing businesses. We never dreamed of a million dollar impact, or the "town square" image the market has attained. And let's certainly not forget the many benefits of fresh and local food for the residents of the neighborhood, said Steve Lorenz, Executive Director of Kamm's Corners Development."

USDA invests in farmers markets as institutions with a triple bottom-line of impacts upon communities – financial, human, and social — via several programs. These investments appear to be bearing fruit: USDA reports that as of 2010 there are 6,132 farmers markets operating in the USA — as compared to 1,775 in 1994.

Working with philanthropic support, marketumbrella.org is developing a trio of tools to measure these impacts for a growing field of markets. Its first tool — SEED — utilizes the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ RIMS II economic multiplier methodology. It is a free, online measurement tool that has been used by over 100 markets throughout the USA. Here in Cleveland, two additional Growhio Farmers Markets, Coit Road Farmers Market and Tremont Farmers Market also took part in the survey.

marketumbrella.org is a 501[c]3 nongovernmental organization based in New Orleans but operates globally to cultivate the field of public markets for public good. The SEED economic evaluation tool can be found online at marketumbrella.org.

The Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market is free and open to the public outdoors every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second Sunday in June through the second Sunday in October and indoors the second Sunday of each month November through May. For more information about the Market visit online at www.kammscornersfarmersmarket.org.

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