||| FROM KRISTEN FAY for ORCAS ISLAND FARMERS MARKET |||
The Give Orcas Campaign has begun! Please make your donations between May 8th-May 17th.
OIFM seeks assistance from the community to cover rent owed to San Juan County for use of the Village Green in summer 2024. Help the market continue as a viable financial platform for local businesses, a hub for local food access, and an expression of our unique Orcas community.
The objective of OIFM is to provide an accessible marketplace where Orcas artisans, crafters, food makers, and farmers can sell their products and creations to friends, neighbors, and island visitors in a safe, educational, and vibrant environment. Our mission and practice is to support the local economy, encourage sustainability, and aid in local food production, supply, and access—to enhance the economic strength and viability of San Juan County as a whole. Help us remain a spirited, fun, and necessary part of our community after 38+ years!
Costs associated with running the market continue to increase (i.e. rent, supplies, insurance, garbage fees, etc). San Juan County annually increases our rent for the use of the Eastsound Village Green public space. In an increasingly difficult economic environment we struggle to keep the cost of participation for our small local businesses affordable.
Did you know that the Orcas Island Farmers Market pays more to rent event space, with access to less amenities such as electricity and running water, than any other farmers market that we polled in Washington State.
In 2023, the total rent due to San Juan County for the Orcas Island Farmers Market was $7,594.62 for 22 Saturdays—we expect to see this rate continue to increase. We have exhausted our attempts to negotiate with San Juan County Parks for a reduced rental rate, and a previous grant award with Washington Festivals and Events Association was unexpectedly rescinded. Communication attempts to appeal that decision have been met with no response.
Please help support our beloved market.
Any contribution is greatly appreciated, however BIG or small.
Donation window is May 8th-May 17th.
VISIT TO DONATE: oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/grant?grant_id=32704
For more information about the Orcas Island Farmers Market Visit: www.orcasislandfarmersmarket.org
My eyes were opened in reading this. I wish I had known of this need and the difficulties this poses for farmers and artisans to pay that much! – plus garbage (I believe they must haul and pay for their own), insurance, and all the usual expenses such as bookkeeping, website, utilities, and decent pay for their fantastic manager. This makes the expense much more than the $7+K per season the county charges.
I would really love to hear the County’s reasoning for charging so much more than the next most expensive farmer’s market in the state with their fees at 1/10th the cost of what our Orcas farmers market pays. How, and why, can this be?
I also wish that I and others had known of this dilemma and cost before the Unique Donor Day – Someone could have donated even a small amount that day and really done the farmers market a lot of good if their donation was randomly picked! Now it’s up to us to help the market raise more than they need or can imagine.
I would also like to hear and understand why the grant was rescinded without explanation and why no one has been in touch with the people attempting to appeal that decision.
OK now I’m gonna wax eloquent (I hope) and gush my praises of the Market.
The farmers market fills a unique Public need on Orcas. The farmers donate many things to our local food bank: fine organic produce and vegetable starts, to name a few. In winter, when many organic fresh foods are scarce, they donate winter squash, potatoes and root crops, and sometimes fruit, and in early spring we can find lovely early greens. We eat like kings and queens in summer, thanks to the farmers. Farmers help low income people eat healthful island-grown food. They take food stamps at the Farmers Market. There is a program for low income seniors too. Some of the farmers donate vegie starts and foods to the fresh bucks program at the Orcas Food Coop – another generous program geared to helping low income people eat as well as those who can afford to eat well. The farmers are who take care of us, including the poor. Low income people have a chance to have healthy food that nourishes their bodies, most of the year from the food bank donations. During covid, Morning Star Farm donated flowers to the food bank; cheering us all up with beauty and color and fragrance in such hard times for so many. I can’t thank the farmers enough for all their generosity and love that they put into what they make and grow. They bless our lives and we thank them.
Then there are the wonderful artists and makers – skilled artisans and visual artists, jewelers, herbalists, people who sew beautiful and useful things, and much more. You can get essential oils, healing salves, ointments, and teas. And of course, the cooks and chefs serving up delectable foods and the bakers who give us mouth watering baked goodies. So many of the folks mentioned depend for part of their annual income on the Farmers Market and summer season, which is all too short – but it’s not just tourists they serve and delight. We locals appreciate all the hard work and long hours that goes into prepping each week, setup, breakdown, and at times, being in scorching sun or high-wind days – which town suffers a lot. It can really wreak havoc on a carefully set up booth. Then there are the lovely local musicians who give free concerts while we shop and visit. Many thanks to them!
I can’t think of a more worthy endeavor than donating to our island farmers and artisans who bring beauty and nourishment to the people. The people doing the weekly markets work long hard hours to give us so many wonderful food choices and bouquets – it’s a labor of love and giving. Our artisans and makers provide everything from art to jewelry to herbal salves and oils.
It’s a visual and olfactory delight to go to the Market.
For those who haven’t been, every week it’s a happening – great food cooked by local chefs and cooks, good live music from local musicians, delectable baked goods, island grown fruits and vegies and beautiful starts of flowers and vegetables for our gardens; fresh flowers, gorgeous art, jewelry, island wines, and much much more. I don’t get to go as often as I would like, but loved it when Lum Farm provided island grown meats raised with love on their farm. Our farmers market is a magical experience every week, where you can see friends, make new friends, and meet the people who give so generously to us. Let’s return that love and My wish is that we not only help them meet their goal for this year, but give well beyond that goal, and brainstorm on how to help them pay less for this essential service provided every year.
And hey, San Juan County; we’re waiting to hear why so expensive, for an organization that has to pass such steep costs on to its vendors when we all know what housing and services cost on the island? What about that grant?
I hope this knowledge will motivate us all to rally around our beloved Farmers Market.
Oh Sadie, what a heartfelt, thorough, and beautiful response. Thank you for such powerful words and for your unwavering support.
I did want to make sure the right information was out there regarding the rescinded grant. Two years ago we applied for and were notified of being the recipient of a $9,000 Washington State Festivals and Events Association grant, a state funded award for events suffering impacts post-COVID. Days later we were notified that our award was rescinded, with no further explanation other than they determined that we did not experience a cumulative loss, and our emails and calls for clarification were met with silence. I can’t speak to what exactly they *wanted* to see, but the OIFM certainly did experience cumulative losses from 2020 all the way through 2023 and those losses were reflected as such on the tax documents provided to them. We had received small grants during this same time period from LTAC funding, GiveOrcas, and USDA, so my best guess is they counted those grants as additional income rather than see exactly what they were for.
The Orcas Island Farmers Market is an invaluable part of the complex and vibrant tapestry that is the Eastsound business economy and community hub. We provide a service to the village by building this amazing weekly attraction
I’m going to quote something Justin Paulsen wrote in a social media post regarding this issue with his permission, because I don’t think I could have said it any better myself:
“We need to be looking at activities such as the Farmers Market from the perspective of overall impact that they have on revenue to the County as a whole – not simply the minimal receipts brought in from rents. Home-spun retail activity like the Farmers Market supports agriculture and builds the local economy from the bottom up – not to mention the very basic impact of Community Building that it does. Guaranteed that that $7k they take in would be better spent by the Farmers Market by investing directly in the farmers, artists and vendors participating.
County assets should be prioritized and incentivized to serve our communities – not to pull profit from them.“ – Justin
We have created an amazing program which is currently in our third year, and it is called Music in the Market. That program is why we have such fabulous music now on Saturdays during the Market. We are currently able to pay the performers using a small grant provided by San Juan County Lodging Tax Funds – but the reality is that the annual access to those funds is limited as far as the long term. It’s not meant to sustain an annual program, but rather launch new projects. This year we were awarded $7000 from LTAC funds.
We’ve already been warned that it is likely not to be renewed in future years. And this is where the rent issue comes in again and I’m going to echo what Justin said. The $7000+ that we currently pay in rent to the county would be better spent by investing directly in the market itself. Wouldn’t it be great if we could directly invest some of that that money into our amazing musicians in future years for the music in the market program when we are unable to access LTAC funds to do so?
Eloquent statement from Sadie, and very enlightening comments from Erica (and Justin). “Wouldn’t it be great if we could directly invest some of that that money into our amazing musicians in future years for the music in the market program when we are unable to access LTAC funds to do so?” So the County charges $7 K per annum, LTAC granted $7 K this year, but says it is not likely to continue this grant. LTAC is a County-appointed committee. The Market, besides being a benefit for local farmers, craftspersons and buyers, is clearly a major attraction and benefit to the Islands’ tourist economy – exactly what LTAC is supposed to support. I’d like to hear from LTAC why they don’t plan to continue that support.
Good question Brian, this is what I was told in an email from an LTAC committee member two years ago:
“ A word of caution, the committee does do recurring grants but usually only for three years.”
So the county charges us around $7000 for rent annually, yes. And we asked for $7000 from LTAC to fund our Music in the Market program and were granted it. Both amounts just happen to be the same, but one does not have anything to do with the other. Just wanted to emphasize that.
Only a few more days, and many of the projects are falling way short of their asks. Is it me, or are there more things needed, and much bigger amounts asked for this year? buildings need upkeep, programs need to be funded, and in these times, non profits need as much help as they can get as expenses rise and our dollars don’t go nearly as far as they did just a few years ago.
I hope people will dig deep in their hearts and pockets, and support these worthy causes that make our community one of the biggest draws to this island. There are so many worthy organizations all needing our help. If everyone donated even five or ten dollars, we could fund these asks and help our community members who help us in so many ways.
I wonder if we can extend Give Orcas for another week? We only have two days left. Maybe another Unique Donor Day or some other incentive for small donations to make bigger impacts? I want to see all these worthy endeavors get fully funded. The Farmers Market is near and dear to my heart, but so are many of these other worthy causes.
I never shared this but one time I went onto the Give Orcas website and looked for an organization that was having trouble meeting its ask. There was one that did a lot for me in a tough time, and I thought even a small donation might help. It was Unique Donor day. I donated what I could. My name got picked at random from all the names of the donors that day, and that small donation earned that organization a thousand bucks! What a thrill! I firmly believe the Universe supports giving from our hearts. We can make a difference. Whether living on Orcas or far away, if anyone can relate to one of these organizations, please help them out with any size donation. We can also help them in other ways by passing the word and making people aware of what they do. As a low income person who is a senior, I have been helped countless times and in countless ways by so many of these organizations. I love Give Orcas. It’s a way to give back to the amazing people who care for our health and well being in so many ways.