PROJECTS

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Goshen Market Foundation: Nourishing Our Community

The work of the Goshen Market Foundation aims to enhance access to healthy food, support the growth of local agriculture, and educate both children and the community about sustainable farming practices and nutrition. We strive to create a platform where learning about food and farming is accessible, enjoyable, and empowering. Through various events and projects, the Foundation fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of where our food comes from and the importance of supporting local producers.

Beet Box

The Beet Box is a mobile farmers market that brings free and low-cost local produce directly to neighborhoods, schools, and community centers. This initiative particularly serves areas facing transportation challenges, health issues, or food-apartheid conditions. In 2023, the Beet box distributed over 3,000 lbs of fresh local produce to communities in Madison and St. Clair Counties. In collaboration with the University of Illinois Extension, the Beet Box distributes recipes featuring in-season local produce.  Since 2019, it also doubles as a traveling Little Free Library.

Check our schedule often to see where we will be! Link to Beet Box Schedule

Previous stops include Fairmont City Library, Granite CIty Library, Granite City Salvation Army, subsidized senior housing facilities in Alton, Soup n’ Share in Madison Illinois, SIUE campus quad, Collinsville City Library.

Donate new or gently used children’s books by bringing them to the Market info booth, or purchasing from our wish list at local seller, Afterwords Books, by clicking here. add link to Afterwords gift list

Logos and Links to Extension, afterword books, SIUE, Good dirt community garden

Sponsors: Logos and links- not yet finalized for 2024

Farm to Foodbank

It has been an honor to participate in the pilot phase of the Farm to Foodbank program with Feeding Illinois and the St. Louis Area Foodbank. Through this program, farmer vendors donate surplus produce, seconds, and gleanings for which they are compensated for their picking and packing efforts. This produce is then distributed to local food pantries at no-cost.

We seek to feed our communities with local produce, support our farmers with additional income, and limit food waste.

Since 2022, through this program, and with the support of Goshen Market farmers, we have collected and donated approximately 22,000 lbs of fresh local produce to area food pantries.

For 2024, we have set the ambitious goal of collecting 18,000 lbs, and expanding the program to another local Farmers Market!

We also welcome donations from home and community gardens – just bring your surplus to the Market Info Booth!

Our partners:

Food Access Booth

Every Market Saturday, next to the Information Booth, you’ll find our Food Access Booth. Thanks to a generous grant from the Edwardsville Community Foundation, this booth is a resource hub offering information on affordable food access, SNAP and Link, WIC and Senior farmers market coupons, food pantry schedules, and nutritional advice, along with healthy recipes and cooking demonstrations.

If your organization has information about nutrition, food access, or other community resources to share, please contact us at <a href=”mailto:info@goshenmarket.org”>info@goshenmarket.org</a> to reserve a free space at the Food Access Booth.

Our sponsors:

Link Hub

The Goshen Market Foundation is grateful for the opportunity to serve as a Link Hub for other area Farmers Markets. With support from Experimental Station, we assist other Farmers Markets as they establish SNAP and Link Match acceptance processes. From applying for funding, to choosing a POS system and marketing to customers, we are helping Markets to make fresh local foods more accessible in their immediate communities!

If you are a Farmers Market in Southeast Illinois that would like more information about offering SNAP and Link options at your Market, please email us at info@goshenmarket.org