Sitka Local Foods Network monthly newsletter for May 2021

An update on the Sitka Farmers Market

The Sitka Local Foods Network isn't ready to start taking vendor registration yet, but we're getting closer to having plans finalized for the 2021 Sitka Farmers Markets. This year we hope to host a more traditional market than we could last year with COVID-19. Our plan is to host markets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, July 3, July 17, July 31, Aug. 7, Aug. 21, Aug. 28, Sept. 11, and Sept. 18, all at the plaza outside the museum end of Harrigan Centennial Hall. Since COVID-19 is still around, even with more people being vaccinated, we plan to have an entirely outdoor market this year, with room for food trucks and people who are cooking food. We will incorporate some weekly ordering using the Salt and Soil online platform, like we had last year, but also hope to be able to have more vendors and items available for sale. For more details, click this link.

Like local food? Join our board of directors

Did you enjoy 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, 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 need board members to keep things going, and volunteers to help with the Sitka Farmers Market and growing food at St. Peter's Fellowship Farm. If we don't find new board members, we may have to scale back our programs.

For more details, please click this link. This page has links to our board job descriptions and applications. Our next meeting will be from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. Due to COVID-19 coronavirus health concerns and the need to social-distance, we will meet using Zoom online meetings (email us at the address below for a meeting link). Feel free to check us out. Our meetings are open to the public. For details and a meeting link, contact SLFN board president Charles Bingham at 623-7660 or sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com.

2021 sponsorship program opens

The 2021 Sitka Local Foods Network sponsorship program is open, and businesses and individuals are encouraged to contribute to help us keep our programs going and fulfill our mission of increasing the amount of locally harvested and produced foods in the diets of Southeast Alaskans. Your donations help us host the Sitka Farmers Market, grow food at St. Peter's Fellowship Farm (we just ordered a new high tunnel in December 2020 so we can grow more produce for the markets), provide garden education classes in the spring, and sponsor the Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest. Food security is a tenuous thing in Sitka, and we're trying to do our part to improve our community food security.

We thank the Alaska Comprehensive Cancer Control Partnership, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), ALPS Federal Credit Union, Sea Mart and Market Center, the employees of First National Bank Alaska, Harry Race/White's Inc., Linda Schmidt, and The Skaggs Foundation for donating in 2021. We also thank the Sitka White Elephant Shop (White E), Sitka True Value, and Sweet Sisters Caramels for supporting us with their sponsorships for 2020. In addition, we thank The Alaska Community Foundation, the Sitka Legacy Foundation, David and Margaret Steward, Amanda Anjum, Charles Bingham, and our other individual donors for their support. To learn more about our sponsorship program, click this link.