Sitka Local Foods Network monthly newsletter for May 2018

Join us May 4 for a garden work party

Join us from 2:30-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, for a garden work party at the St. Peter's Fellowship Farm communal garden to help get the garden prepared for the summer growing season. Most of the produce we sell at the Sitka Farmers Market comes from St. Peter's Fellowship Farm (located behind St. Peter's By The Sea Episcopal Church), and our lead gardener, Laura Schmidt, needs volunteers to help her get the garden beds ready for planting. Laura also will need a pool of volunteers to help her during the summer, so if you can't make it Saturday call her at 738-7009 to find out what chores need to be done. For more information, click this link.

SLFN wrapping up 2018 spring gardening classes

Unless we hear from Sitka gardeners wanting to share their skills, the Sitka Local Foods Network has one free class left in its 2018 spring garden class series — container gardening from 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, at the Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall. We are hoping to reschedule the Starting a Cottage Foods Business class (originally scheduled for April 14) for sometime in June. We will announce the class on our website when it becomes available. If Sitka gardeners want to teach any additional classes not on our schedule, please contact Charles Bingham at 623-7660 or charleswbingham3@gmail.com. For more information, click this link. Also, the Sitka Kitch will host a Baking With Betsy cooking series with professional baker and culinary skills instructor Betsy Peterson Sanchez on three consecutive Tuesdays in July. For more information, click this link.

Sitka Farmers Market vendor meeting May 17

Are you a past or prospective vendor of the Sitka Farmers Market? The Sitka Local Foods Network will host a Sitka Farmers Market vendor meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, at the Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall (408 Marine Street, parking off Spruce Street). This meeting will be where vendors can learn the rules and responsibilities of the market, and they can register at the meeting. We're hoping Sitka food safety inspector Bruce Gazaway will be at the meeting to go over Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation food safety regulations. This year, the Sitka Farmers Market will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on seven Saturdays — July 7, July 21, Aug. 4, Aug. 11, Aug. 25, Sept. 1, and Sept 15 — at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Founders Hall (235 Katlian Street). To learn more about the vendor meeting and download our rules and registration form (last page of the rules packet), click this link.

SLFN 2018 sponsorship program continues

The Sitka Local Foods Network launched a sponsorship program in 2016, and we are now accepting sponsorships for 2018 from businesses and individuals concerned about food security in Sitka and Southeast Alaska. We have four levels — Grower ($2,500 or more), Harvester ($1,000-$2,499), Planter ($250-$999), and Friend ($50-$249). Businesses and individuals who sponsor the Sitka Local Foods Network support the Sitka Farmers Market, St. Peter's Fellowship Farm communal garden (where we grow most of the produce sold at the market), our gardening education programs, and our matching program for those using WIC and SNAP produce benefits at the market. In 2018 we also hope to launch a local food business innovation contest to inspire Sitka entrepreneurs. We also want to thank our 2017 sponsors, who all renewed for 2018 — the Alaska Comprehensive Cancer Partnership (Grower level), SEARHC (Harvester level), Sitka True Value (Planter level), and White's Inc./Harry Race Pharmacy (Planter). So far, we've had one new business — ALPS Federal Credit Union (Planter level) and three individuals sponsor us for 2018 — Charles Bingham (Harvester level), Beth Short-Rhoads (Friend level), and Jeff Budd (Friend level). To learn more about our sponsorship program, click this link. Also, thanks to the Sitka White Elephant Shop, aka the White E, which gave us a grant of $1,000 to use to match produce purchases of up to $20 by SNAP/WIC beneficiaries at the Sitka Farmers Market.

Like what we do? Please join our board of directors

Are you enjoying the fresh local veggies at the Sitka Farmers Market this summer? Did you take one of our garden education classes this spring? Do you have an interest in getting more access to locally grown, harvested and produced food, and an interest in food security? If so, then please consider joining our board of directors. We need new board members to keep offering these programs, and we'd love to have you join us. We just found out two board members are leaving town at the end of the summer, so if you've ever thought about joining our board this is the time to do it. We need board members to keep things going. For more details, please click this link. This page has links to our board job descriptions and applications. Right now, we haven't set our next meeting. But we will post it on our website when the date, time and location become available. Feel free to check us out. Our meetings are open to the public.