Market is OPEN for May 1st pickup!

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Good evening,

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Market today! We were pleased with how smoothly our new setup ran, and we hope you were too!

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

Please remember to schedule an appointment time to pick up your order using this link Calendy.

Honestly, I was amazed at how punctual all of you were, thank you! I will input your pickup times as they go through to make sure your orders are being processed this week. I apologize to the few who’s orders did not process. This is a learning curve for all of us and we really appreciate the continued support.

Remember, our goal is to keep us all safe and healthy. Please let us know immediately if you need to cancel your order due to illness.

We’re here to help if you have any questions. If you haven’t taken part in our new system, please read below.

Here is how the Market Works:

The Online Market picked up is now on Friday from 2-6pm. By appointment. The Market will open for orders Friday at 8pm and close Wednesday at 8pm.

You will order as usual, but now you will PAY On-line. You may want to strengthen your account password, although the ordering process will take you to a secure server. You may pay by credit card or you can estimate your monthly shopping and send a check payable to the Independence Farmers Market that will be deposited in your account and your credit will be reduced as you shop. A similar system will be set up for SNAP and senior coupon users, please contact Michelle for assistance. 276-655-4045 or 276-768-0597. New customers are welcome.

All orders must be placed using the On-line Market. If you have difficulty creating an account or have limited internet or computer skills, please call Michelle at 276-655-4045 or 276-768-0597 to place orders for you during the regular ordering period.

Please schedule a pick up time. We are scheduling 3 customers every 15 minutes. Please pick an alternate time if your first choice is already full. Your bin will be ready on a table at curbside. Please let staff move away from the table BEFORE you exit your car. Please remove your products and leave the box. Be sure to bring a cooler for perishable items and a bag if you need it for the rest of your order.

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

Market closes for new orders TONIGHT at 8 pm!

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Good afternoon,

Please remember to place your Online Market order by TONIGHT at 8 pm! If you haven’t already, please sign up for a curbside pickup time using this link Calendly.

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

There have been a lot of changes, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Michelle and Abby by replying directly to this e-mail.

Happy Earth Day!

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

The MARKET is OPEN for April 24th pickup!!!

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Good evening,

Boy, are we glad to be back! Thank you for all of your patience while we took a much needed pause. Our mission is to provide the community with fresh, local products, and we wanted to make sure we are doing everything we can to safely continue that work. Luckily, we have a really thoughtful and creative Board to help us create protocols for right now and in the future.

Take some time to click around the Market site. You might recognize some of our vendors from Town Park who have decided to join us over here until we can get back outside. If you’re in need of soap, you’re in luck, check out the “Artisan Products” section for a wide variety of products from Red Bear Goat Farms! We’re also excited to have Heritage Farms back Online with a variety of live plants. We have also added an option under “Support the Market” to make a $5 donation, if you can, to help the Market continue operating with the extra safety protocols currently in place (extra staff, credit card processing fees, cleaning supplies).

And now, here is the information you need to know. Please read all of the instructions so we can help each other make sure we are operating as safely and as efficiently as we can.

Here is how the Market will work:

The Online Market will shift to a Friday Pickup from 2-6pm. By appointment (click here to schedule your pickup time). The Market will open for orders Friday at 8pm and close Wednesday at 8pm.

You will order as usual, but now you will PAY On-line. You may want to strengthen your account password, although the ordering process will take you to a secure server. You may pay by credit card or you can estimate your monthly shopping and send a check payable to the Independence Farmers Market that will be deposited in your account and your credit will be reduced as you shop. A similar system will be set up for SNAP and senior coupon users, please contact Michelle for assistance. 276-655-4045 or 276-768-0597. New customers are welcome.

All orders must be placed using the On-line Market, Independence Farmers Market. If you have difficulty creating an account or have limited internet or computer skills, please call Michelle at 276-655-4045 or 276-768-0597 to place orders for you during regular ordering period

Please choose your preferred pick up time using this link Calendly. We are scheduling 3 customers every 15 minutes. Please pick an alternate time if your first choice is already full. Your bin will be ready on a table at curbside. Please let staff move away from the table BEFORE you exit your car. Please remove your products and leave the box. Be sure to bring a cooler for perishable items.

Time to Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

Let’s do this!

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

The Market Re-opens THIS Friday!

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Good evening,

Thank you for your patience while we paused the On-line Market to strengthen our safety protocols. We have set a target date of opening the On-line Market for orders on FRIDAY April 17th followed by a Pickup on the following FRIDAY April 24th. Pickup will continue to be held curbside, outside the IFM/Grayson LandCare office at 104 Courthouse street.

We changed the Pickup date to Friday because we are uncertain when/if we will open in Town Park. Current restrictions on operating an outdoor farmers market are too restrictive at this time to consider operating in that fashion. Please let us know if the change to Friday On-line Pickup DOES NOT work for you. Please contact Michelle at independencefarmersmarket@gmail.com, 276-768-0597 or 276-655-4045 with any questions or concerns.

We are taking every possible safety precaution. All staff will be taking their temperature before coming to work. Once at the office, they will be wearing masks, washing hands, and sanitizing surfaces regularly.

Vendors have been provided with masks to use during order processing and delivery. Gloves are in short supply so handwashing is required both at home and before they enter the office to deliver your products. They also have a delivery schedule to help with social distancing and keeping numbers of folks in the office at the same time as low as possible. Only the vendor you ordered from will handle your product.

We ask that you pay by credit card when you place your order to further reduce contact. More details are below if that is inconvenient for you. Please stay in your car to allow staff to keep social distance as well.

In the event that you test positive, please let us know as soon as possible and we will also contact all customers should a vendor or staff member develop symptoms.

Here is how the Market will work:

The Online Market will shift to a Friday Pickup from 2-6pm. By appointment. Abby will include a link each Friday when the Market opens to Calendy-an Online calendar- which will let you pick your preferred pickup time. The Market will open for orders Friday at 8pm and close Wednesday at 8pm.

You will order as usual, but now you will PAY On-line. You may want to strengthen your account password, although the ordering process will take you to a secure server. You may pay by credit card or you can estimate your monthly shopping and send a check payable to the Independence Farmers Market that will be deposited in your account and your credit will be reduced as you shop. A similar system will be set up for SNAP and senior coupon users, please contact Michelle for assistance. 276-655-4045 or 276-768-0597. New customers are welcome.

All orders must be placed using the On-line Market, Independence Farmers Market. – if you have difficulty creating an account or have limited internet or computer skills, please call Michelle at 276-655-4045 or 276-768-0597 to place orders for you during regular ordering period

Please choose your preferred pick up time using the Calendly link that will be sent out each Friday when the Market opens, we are scheduling 3 customers every 15 minutes. Please pick an alternate time if your first choice is already full. Your bin will be ready on a table at curbside. Please let staff move away from the table BEFORE you exit your car. Please remove your products and leave the box. Be sure to bring a cooler for perishable items.

Thanks very much for your continued support and understanding!

The Independence Farmers Market

Market Closed, Updated Vendor List

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Good evening,

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Market this afternoon. We had a record breaking day and it was really great to see so much support in our community for local farmers. A great big thank you to Barbara Moncrief for helping to keep us safe by making us vegetable themed face masks to wear today!

Please stay tuned for Market updates. Right now we plan to close the Market for two weeks as an extra safety precaution to our staff and customers. We will reassess the situation and determine how we can best serve our community in the coming weeks.

If you find that you are in need of local produce and/or meats, here is a list of IFM vendors available for direct sales.

Pulaski Grow!
Lee Spiegel
Pulaskigrow@gmail.com

Eona Farms
Helen Beamer
helenbeamer@yahoo.com
276-730-4788
Quarter of beef (156 lb.) ready for delivery. First come first serve.

Peaceful Heart Farm
Melanie Hall
melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com
www.peacefulheartfarm.com
276-694-4369
I have 2 beef quarters that are ready for pickup – first come, first serve.

Heaven on Earth
Laura Wright
Scottandlaurawright@gmail.com
276-868-8780
Eggs $4.00

Mountain Memories
Mark and Dawn Rhudy
mark.dawnrhudy@yahoo.com
Text: 276-655-4744
For products visit our website:
http://mtnmemoriesfarm.com/

We hope that we are being overly cautious and will not hesitate to reopen in 2 weeks if we feel we can do so without putting everyone at risk. Please stay tuned for updates and stay at home if you can. Looking forward to brighter days.

With love,

The Independence Farmers Market Managers

Important Update and Market closes Monday night at 8pm!

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Good afternoon,

Please place your Online Market order by 8 pm Monday night. After pick up this Wednesday, it is with heavy hearts that Michelle and I have decided to close the Online Market for two weeks.

In case you haven’t been checking the Virginia Department of Health page, there is a confirmed case of Covid 19 in Galax. The reality of the situation suddenly being in our neighborhood has forced us to reconsider keeping the online Market open. We all have families and many of our customers are in the high risk category. The thought of our actions making someone sick is truly terrifying.

We’ll be making a public announcement via our Facebook page tomorrow, but we wanted to give those already with active accounts a chance to place orders today.

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

Some of our vendors have requested that we share their contact information directly with you in case you are interested in arranging direct sales with them while the Online Market is closed. Here is the information I have below:

Peaceful Heart Farm
Melanie Hall
melanie@peacefulheartfarm.com
www.peacefulheartfarm.com
276-694-4369
I have 2 beef quarters that are ready for pickup – first come, first serve.

Heaven on Earth
Laura Wright
Scottandlaurawright@gmail.com
276-868-8780
Eggs $4.00

Mountain Memories
Mark and Dawn Rhudy
mark.dawnrhudy@yahoo.com
Text: 276-655-4744
For products visit our website:
http://mtnmemoriesfarm.com/

We hope that we are being overly cautious and will not hesitate to reopen in 2 weeks if we feel we can do so without putting everyone at risk. Please stay tuned for updates. Looking forward to brighter days.

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!,

Abby

Market is OPEN for April 1st pickup!

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Good evening,

Thank you to everyone who participated in our first curbside pickup. We appreciate your patience as we work out all of the kinks. A huge thank you to Caroline Clough for helping out at the Market tonight!

Again, next Wednesday, we ask that all customers stay in their cars and wait for products to be delivered to your window. If possible, please have a check ready with your total (if you order meat by the pound, your total will be different, Michelle will let you know on Wednesday what you owe). We also accept SNAP, if you can, let us know if you plan to use your SNAP/EBT card before you arrive so we can have the machine ready when you get to pickup. Feel free to text or call Abby at 541-243-3899 to let her know when you will arrive, otherwise, we’ll keep an eye out for you and have your order bagged and ready to go.

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

Upcoming Events:

Just kidding, stay at home and we can gather again when it’s safe to do so.

If you have any questions, let us know! Peace, love and hugs to each one of you!

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

Market closes Monday night at 8 pm!

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Good morning,

I hope everyone is doing well and not too stir crazy. A HUGE thank you to everyone out there on the front lines. If you need food this week, remember to place your Online Order by Monday night at 8 pm.

If you placed an order, but you’re not feeling well or someone else in your house is not well, please don’t hesitate to cancel your order. we’re all trusting each other to do the right thing right now.

This Wednesday, we ask that all customers stay in their cars and wait for products to be delivered to your window. If possible, please have a check ready with your total (if you order meat by the pound, your total will be different, Michelle will let you know on Wednesday what you owe). Feel free to text or call Abby at 541-243-3899 to let her know when you will arrive, otherwise, we’ll keep an eye out for you and have your order bagged and ready to go.

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

If you have any questions, let us know! Peace, love and hugs to each one of you!

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

Market is OPEN for March 25th pickup!

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Good evening,

I hope everyone out there is well! Our Market pickup went great tonight, a huge thank you to everyone who participated.

Next week, we ask that all customers stay in their cars and wait for products to be delivered to your window. If possible, please have a check ready with your total (if you order meat by the pound, your total will be different, Michelle will let you know on Wednesday what you owe). Feel free to text or call Abby at 541-243-3899 to let her know when you will arrive, otherwise, we’ll keep an eye out for you and have your order bagged and ready to go.

Please stay tuned for updates, as you know, conditions are rapidly changing day by day. Shopping locally may have never been so important, thank you all for the continued support. Virtual hugs to everyone, you guys are the best!

If you have some extra time, and let’s face it, most of us do, plant a garden! You can even save on shipping and order Southern Exposure Seeds on the Online IFM!

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

Thank you for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

IFM Statement on Covid 19

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Friends of the Market,

Considering all of the recent closures, you are probably wondering how the Market will proceed in this unpredictable and dangerous health crisis. While it seems prudent to close schools and postpone gatherings centered on worship, art classes, social activities, workouts, etc; food is a basic necessity. We all need to eat. Unless your pantry is full, trips to the grocery or market will be necessary. In other words, just like health workers, food growers and purveyors must remain at their post to continue feeding our families. With that call-to-duty in mind, the Independence Farmers Market wants to continue providing our community with healthy foods and is taking steps to minimize risks to our farmers, vendors, customers, and staff.

According the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), there are no known cases of sickness transmitted by food or food packaging. But, we must remain vigilant. So, although current and long standing food safety procedures practiced by our farmer/vendors already lowers the risk of food borne illnesses, we will be taking additional measures to limit close proximity contact while exchanging goods for payment during our Online Market pickup. In addition, we are researching further measures to implement once our Outdoor Market begins in early May.

In effect immediately at the Online Market:

1. All famers/vendors/staff must review the Food Safety and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are implemented at their farms and ensure these practices are being closely adhered to. You can find links to this information at the Independence Farmers Market Website http://independencefarmersmarket.org/info-for-vendors/food-safety-for-vendors/

2. Online Market staff will wash hands often and avoid repeatedly touching products displayed for pickup. Vendors can help with this by clearly marking the product and to whom it goes.

3. Our Online customers may elect to park at the curb during pick-up hours and text the manager your arrival. The staff will bring the products to your car if desired.

4. We ask that our customers pay with check to avoid unnecessary exchanges of cash. Vendors will be reimbursed by check as well per a negotiated schedule.

5. SNAP will be accepted, measures will be taken to sanitize the cards and machine after each use.

6. Farmers/vendors who feel ill will suspend their products from the online market until they’ve been cleared by medical authority.

As always, we appreciate our communities’ concerns and want to hear your feedback. If you have ideas or witnessed other safe practices we can implement, please forward them to us at independencefarmersmarket@gmail.com.

One other thing you can do to help the IFM to remain operating during this time of crisis, is take a quick minute to sign this petition from the Virginia Farmers Market Association and circulate it widely.

Sincerely,

The Independence Farmers Market