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Date: 1/3/2023
SOUTH HADLEY – Out of college, Jen Krassler got a job as the market manager for the South Hadley Farmers’ Market, and for the two years she was in the position she fell in love with the community and the job.
After getting a better job offer, she ended up leaving the town but said she missed what she had been a part of.
“I left and they eventually shut down and I was really sad. I really loved that job very much and since have absolutely regretted leaving,” Krassler said.
Now Krassler is coming back to manage the South Hadley Farmers Market in its return and looking for community support through a Kickstarter campaign. Donations are being accepted at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shfm/south-hadley-farmers-market-returning-to-buttery-brook-park?ref=project_facebook&fbclid=IwAR1_0knULNC5Q_oqYhEnG6m9mpllH2w9hg9kqeyJa4hTgQq-_Z52f7Xfibs.
Krassler has a degree from the University of Massachusetts and eventually became a South Hadley resident after leaving the market. She and her husband started Flora and Fauna Farm in South Hadley when they met four years ago. Flora and Fauna Farm is a 2.5-acre permaculture farm that offers items like rare and unusual houseplants, fruits and vegetables, feeder insects and more.
Krassler started to sell her own product at farmers markets and through applying for the Easthampton Farmers Market she crossed paths with an old South Hadley Farmers Market vendor who accepted her application and simultaneously asked if she wanted to manage the market.
She agreed to take the position and is now in her second year in the position. It has led her to work toward bringing back the South Hadley Farmers Market that was last opened in 2018. Through collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department, Krassler has secured Buttery Brook Park as the new location of the South Hadley Farmers Market and is looking forward to being a part of the South Hadley community through this position.
“The move to Buttery Brook is enormous for this market. We were formally at the town common and the challenges with that were location. Our vendors could not bring their vehicles up on the grass so what was happening was they would have to park on the side of a kind of busy road and unload as fast as possible and then park blocks away,” Krassler explained. “It was so dangerous and just so inconvenient for everybody because they’re unloading truckloads of like root vegetables, it’s not easy work.”
Krassler added this made it a challenge to gain and retain vendors and the limited parking available in the space made it challenging to get many customers at once.
The biggest use fundraising will go toward in the famers market’s return is to purchase a SNAP processing equipment as well as to start a SNAP MATCH program, as a means to assist fixed and low-income seniors and low-income families and allow for the use of SNAP cards on site.
“There’s a lot of other markets that do something called a snap match program, where they raise a bunch of money though sponsorships – which I’m planning on doing – to basically match people’s SNAP up to $10 per market,” Krassler said. “So, if somebody were to come up to the market booth and run their SNAP card for up to $10, we basically give them $10 more in tokens to spend at the market.”
Krassler added she would like to create two types of tokens, one used only toward food and one that can be used toward any type of item at the market.
Other items the funds will go toward are liability insurance for the year, quality market tents and market tables, reusable banners for the market and small signage. Donations are being accepted until Jan. 13 and is looking to reach a goal of $3,000. As of print time the project was about a third of the way to its goal.
Krassler noted that the plan leading up to the markets opening is to put together a small committee of people invested in the market to help run it. The market will be returning regardless of if the fundraising goal is met.
She also added that the market would be soon launching a sponsorship program early in the new year and will be looking for local businesses who would be interested in sponsoring the market through one of the different levels that will be offered.
The South Hadley Farmers Market will make its official return every Wednesday starting May 24 and will be open until Oct. 11 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine.
Krassler said she hopes to have different themed market days with additional activities for families and children to check out while shopping at the market. This would include things like a Farm Animal Day or music performances.
The setting also allows for opportunities like hosting a blood drive where shoppers can donate on scene or bringing in food trucks every week so shoppers can grab a bite while at the park.
Overall, Krassler is looking forward to beginning her new role and bring the Farmers Market back to South Hadley.
“I’ve been in South Hadley for four years now, and I’ve definitely come to love it. I just really want to be involved. It’s really important to be involved in a place that you live and do your best to make it better for everybody because that’s just the way I am.”