PWYC Market Season Finale
The One where we say “That’s a Wrap!”
September came and went in a flash, and we had a blast! This month, Groundwork Erie held 8 PWYC Markets (and 2 in October!). With the fall weather coming in, fall produce at the markets followed: apples, pumpkins, squash of all shapes and colors and sizes, concord grapes, raspberries, and more! Each market offered a different variety of fruits and veggies, which had people eagerly returning week after week to see the bounty.
Through all 10 markets, we served 507 people with 6,909 pounds of produce. These numbers get added to the rest of our summer total:
This PWYC season, Groundwork Erie shared over 10,243 pounds of food with 1,196 people!
We’d like to thank the Earth for such a plentiful growing season, and the hands of our farmers and urban growers who worked so hard to feed us and many families across the city of Erie this summer.
Market Green Teamer of the Month
Nurta
September started and the Green Team went back to school. This meant the Wednesday and Friday PWYC markets became solely the role of Groundwork Erie staff… except for one remaining Green Teamer.
Nurta was so dedicated to the market season that she would walk to our East Ave market each Wednesday after school to help set up and run things at the stand. She was a very versatile market worker, filling in with whatever was needed from her that day. She wielded her clipboard and pen while taking down weights of produce bags and tallying market guests. She restocked tables when food started to get low. And of course, as she dubbed herself “the taste tester,” she would snack on new items each week and share her thoughts with neighbors. Her favorite food she tried all summer was, “the thing that looks like peaches…NECTARINES!”
When she wasn’t taste testing for us, she said her favorite job at the market was “talking to the customers and helping them out…because I get to talk to new people.” Even as an introvert, Nurta understands the value of connecting with her community and building relationships. She did her best each Wednesday to embody this standard of the Pay What You Can model. She also shared her thoughts on the model when she said, “I think it’s cool because some people don't have that much to pay at stores so I think it’s helpful."
Nurta brought a beaming energy to market days and even acknowledged that herself, saying “I will always have a smile on my face.” Thanks for shining so bright and working so hard for PWYC Nurta!
Farm Shoutout
Shetler Farm
We could have never had such a successful market season without the help of our local Erie county farmers. Susie, from Shetler Farm, is one of those farmers who works with her husband, Levi, and the oldest 5 of her 8 children. As a family, they grow and harvest a beautiful bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables to be shared weekly at our PWYC markets.
Susie has always had a passion for farming and started her own small (and always growing) market stand in Mill Village where their farm is located. Because her typical clientele are locals from the outskirts of Erie, Susie stated “It's very rewarding to me to know that city people get to know what the food tastes like when it's fresh off the farm - because you know there is such a difference.” And it’s true! The produce that Susie and her family grow for the Pay What You Can markets is always so fresh and tasty (better than anything you would find in a grocery store)! Susie also wanted readers to know that “it's truly a lot of hard work involved" This family affair is out in the fields and hot sun every day, so that our markets can have the prettiest, most delectable fruits and vegetables available. Even though it’s challenging at times, Susie says, “every spring we're all excited about it!” We could not be more grateful for Susie, Levi, and all their children for the enthusiasm and care they put into their farming.
When talking about the coalition’s relationship to Shetler Farms, we cannot exclude Gretchen - one of PWYC’s most valuable volunteers. Every week, Gretchen would take the trip down to Mill Village for us and load her car up with multiple stands’ orders of produce. She’d truck it all back into the city, ensuring each market has the correct produce for the week. We truly could not keep our PWYC model alive without our partnering farms, like Shetler, and our prized volunteers, like Gretchen.
Thank you all for a wonderful Pay What You Can market season!
Tales From Market
October 1st was the last market on East Ave this season. The spirit of the market was high and so were the winds! Our staple purple tent, although staked into the ground, took flight when a big gust blew by. Groundwork Erie Executive Director, Erin Carey, and one of our regular market-goers worked together to jerry-rig a solution. It was beautiful to see the two collaborate, even with neither speaking the other person’s language, to tie one corner of the tent to our tables and bungee cord the other corner to ECAT’s metal sculpture behind. Even with those repairs, our market staff had to be very mindful to hold our tent in place (as you see Erin doing in the picture above) when big winds rolled through.
Despite a turbulent set up, the market day was delightful. Neighbors created an atmosphere of sharing, and marveled at the gorgeous harvest of watermelons, pie pumpkins, winter squash, and more. One woman picked up a leek and said, “What is this? How do I use it?", to which the woman next to her replied, “Oh leeks are so good,” and shared her favorite ways to incorporate them into recipes. The first woman added the leek to her bag, bringing it home to try something new. We had lots of moments like that throughout this summer - introducing new fruits and vegetables to the people of Erie. Expanding our palates and taste buds was just one of our PWYC market goals, and it was so rewarding to see it happen each week in front of our very eyes.
After only half an hour at the market, our three tables full of fresh, local produce (and back stock underneath the tables) diminished down to the apples, potatoes, and onions you see in the picture above. Sure enough, those apples, potatoes, and onions were shared with our last few market-goers in the minutes following the photo, and our final East Ave market was sold out! What a perfect way to close the curtain on the PWYC market season.
The Season By The Numbers
Wednesday at ECAT
People Served per Market
Average: 50
Max: 83 people on 9/17
Min: 21 people on 7/16
Pounds of Food Shared per Market:
Average: 322.99 lbs
Max: 697.14 lbs on 9/17
Min: 52.9 lbs on 7/9
Friday at 4th St Farm
People Served per Market
Average: 42
Max: 60 people on 9/12
Min: 20 people on 7/11
Pounds of Food Shared per Market:
Average: 464.96 lbs
Max: 1,239.04 lbs on 10/17
Min: 61.5 lbs on 7/11
Average Pounds of Food per Person per Market:
8.56 lbs
