Urban Farm Stand

This Saturday, I went to the Broderick Urban Farm Stand. This is a new effort in an older part of my town's community to offer affordable, fresh produce in an urban setting. There is an internship program set up so that local young people can gain experience by helping at the stand. The project also allows a poorer segment of the population that generally suffers from more health problems greater access to fresh produce. Farmers Markets - they're not just for rich white people anymore!

The stand was set up in a park next to an elementary school. I found their prices to be quite reasonable. I got 3 baskets of uber-sweet strawberries, a bunch of carrots, a head of lovely red lettuce, and early hot house tomatoes. There were also radishes, blackberries, turnips, apricots, kale, chard, sweet peas, squash, tiny beets, and onions. I hope to go every week now and support their project. I can't wait to see what seasonal goodies they'll offer next!

Have You Heard of the 3/50 Project?

This week, I learned about the 3/50 Project, created by blogger Cinda Baxter, who is aiming to stimulate local economies with the following advice:

"Think of three [local] businesses you'd miss if they went away. Stop in. Say hello. Pick up a little something that makes you smile. Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy." In other words, channel $50 (that would would have spent anyway on food, a hair cut, clothing, etc.) into a locally owned and operated business.

Baxter claims that for every $100 spent in locally owned independent businesses, $68 returns to the community (through taxes, payroll, and expenditure). If you spend that money in a national chain, only $43 returns, and if you spend it online, virtually none of it returns.

As a citizen of one town for most of my life, I can see the potential benefits that the 3/50 project carries for a healthier local economy. My relatively small town often loses potential revenue when shoppers choose to shop at the state capital city that is just a 10 minute drive away, but in fact a completely different county altogether. As for local businesses, I know that I would be lost without my favorite Laotian and Indian restaurant, my trusty dry cleaner and salon, and the Woodland-based Nugget market (the best grocery store I have ever had the pleasure of patronizing). Incidentally, I saw on Facebook that Cinda Baxter visited the nearby city of Woodland and spoke about her project just this week. Too bad I missed her, but I hope to keep her ideas in mind in the future when I need to purchase goods and services and keep it close to home.