Davidson Farmer’s Market is in the final week of its 2010 Friends of the Market campaign, which aims to raise $2,000 to support its activities this year. Organizers will be at the market Saturday morning next to Town Hall accepting donations. Come by and make your contribution and they’ll give you a free T-shirt.

Now in its third year, the Davidson Farmer’s Market has become a mainstay of Saturday mornings in town – offering residents and visitors access to fresh local food, as well as a chance to meet the people who grow and make it.

Unlike many markets, which are funded by municipalities or the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, the Davidson Farmers Market is run by community-supported independent non-profit organization.

It costs about $625 to run each of the 40 markets held yearround.

“We are thrilled to be operating as a year-round market and as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization,” Market Manager Mary Jane Leach said. “However, this increases our need to raise funds to cover our costs to purchase and maintain tents and cooking equipment as well as daily organizational expenses. We are very thankful to our corporate sponsors who have supported us so generously and hope that individual patrons will also offer their financial support so we may keep growing this amazing market.”

Farmers have been enthusiastic about the market. “The Davidson Farmers Market has been a huge step in the right direction for Barbee Farms,” said Tommy Barbee of Barbee Farms in Concord. “The folks in charge of this market have done things very right. They have created the right mix of vendors to supply most any item that can be grown locally in an amount that will be consumed. They have made this market very sustainable from both a farmer and a consumer standpoint. These folks believe in what they do and have the utmost respect from Barbee Farms!”

Added Mike Smith, owner of Big Oak Farm in Denver: “We really can’t say it enough – thank you [to DFM patrons] for supporting local farmers.

“From an administrative point of view, it costs a lot of money to keep a market going,” Mr. Smith said. “There is a lot of overhead for private markets and it is important for folks to remember the market as well as the farmers. The market is just like any other business and has fixed costs in order to operate only the market itself has no real way to generate income to cover these costs.”

As a thank you, the Market is offering donors incentives including a new T-shirt designed by local Davidson artist, Dione Goyette, as well as aprons and bumper magnets. To make a donation, please visit the Friends of the Market Pea Pod table on Saturday or send an email to info@davidsonfarmersmarket.org ^[2].

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