To the editor:
As we enter June, temperatures are finally warming up, veggies are ripening, and the Nashville Indiana Farmers Market (NIFM) continues to grow in its third season. As the new president of the NIFM board, I want to say how truly grateful we are for everyone that has visited the market and supported our vendors and our mission with your attendance and as customers. Some of you we see almost every week!
However, as crucial as customers are to our ongoing success, in order to create a market that provides a sense of community and true impact in Brown County, it takes a lot of work behind the scenes. Our volunteers and board members are critical to the work that keeps the market running and growing from week to week and season to season.
The Nashville Indiana Farmers Market Board has had to make some tough decisions recently. And unfortunately, this time of change has happened to coincide with some of our other longtime members stepping down due to a move and general life circumstances. We are currently operating with just three board members and our conscripted spouses, a coordinator for the musicians, and a whole lot of passion and commitment to continuing to see this market grow and thrive within the community.
If you’re reading this and have felt the impact of the market on your own life, have an interest in local food or community building, or are just looking for a way to get more connected to others in the county, I encourage you to consider volunteering at the weekly market, joining the board, or perhaps even applying to be our new market manager. I started as a vendor and board member of NIFM a few months after my family moved to Brown County, and involvement with this market has been instrumental to so many of the connections and friendships I’ve made here.
If you’re interested in joining our team as a volunteer, board member, market manager, or even vendor, please contact us at [email protected]. And, if you’re not able or interested in volunteering, we still hope to see you at market: Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Brown County Inn, through the end of October.
Kara Hammes, NIFM board president
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