Despite the heavy rain that had been falling all day, Georgetown University’s second Farmers’ Market took place Wednesday afternoon in Healy Circle, as students lined up for everything from Belgian waffles to peaches.
The project’s co-founders Breanna Donald (NHS ‘12) and Melissa Gadsden (NHS ’12) imagined the farmers’ market after taking a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention course, and were able to carry out their proposal after receiving a two-year ReImagine Georgetown grant.
A portion of the grant has been used to buy 100 percent recycled bags and organic cotton T-shirts, which are sold to help offset costs of running the market. In addition, GUSA has helped with promotion and providing volunteers. Donald said she also hopes get the Corp involved in sustaining the project.
However, as seniors in the NHS, Donald and Gadsden are concerned about the transition of their leadership positions. While GUSA has legislation in place for running the farmers market, Donald said, “it would be best if we [continue working] with GUSA and figure out who within our [own] committee would be able to take on such a huge leadership role.”
Donald said she and Gadsden were looking for ways to expand the program after a successful pilot market last spring, including adding more vendors and collaborating with vendors to create a compost initiative. Donald also hinted at a seventh special market before Thanksgiving.
“We are working on getting a dairy vendor and another fresh produce vendor, specifically vegetables,” Donald said. A vendor outreach committee, a marketing committee, and a community outreach committee are also in the works, she said.
Most of the same vendors will return, including Whole Foods, the Sweetflow van, Beechwood Orchards, Panorama Bakery, and Les Caprices de Joelle, all within a 200-mile radius of Georgetown. Wednesday’s market premiered Sâuçámobile, an on-the-go selection of international cuisine served to the beats of an eclectic soundtrack.
Surveys distributed last year demonstrated a call for more produce options and green projects. In response, the farmers’ market has collaborated with GUSA on their new compost initiative. Donald said she hopes to turn the market into a community event, involving both members of the University and neighbors living in the West Georgetown and Burleith areas.
“We definitely have taken into account these surveys and are working on improvements,” she said.
