Fiona Lewis sells Yakima organic fruit at the Chehalis Community Farmers Market in September 2019.
Marie Shankle always considered farmers essential workers. So, when Governor Jay Inslee declared a shelter-in-place order for the state, she was not surprised to see agricultural workers listed among those able to continue to work because of their essential status.
And that’s exactly why the Centralia Farmers Market will move forward with opening its regular season this Friday.
“For us down here, it was always ‘we’re going to do this,’” said Shankle, owner of Olde Achers farm, market manager for the Centralia Farmers Market, who is also involved in both the Morton and Toledo farmers markets. “People need to eat and we will be there to feed people because people need us. And we’ll do whatever we need to make it work.”
The Centralia Farmers Market is planned to take place Fridays starting 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 24 at the Centralia Factory Outlets. Other markets opening soon are: Tenino, which will open May 18; and Morton, which will open May 23. The Toledo Thursday Market has remained open all winter and organizers intend it to continue to be open year-round. The board of the Community Farmers Market of Chehalis is still moving forward with plans for a plant sale on May 5 and opening its regular season on June 2, though they are still closely monitoring fundraising and social distancing requirements to ensure those plans will be able to happen. The fate of both of the Packwood and Winlock farmers markets remain unclear.
Farmers markets are nonprofits, Shankle noted, and need sponsors and community donations to be able to operate each year. That is doubly true this year when markets have extra operational costs to implement social distancing measures and have been forced to cancel spring fundraisers because of the ban on public gatherings.
For instance, the Community Farmers Market of Chehalis was set to have both a showing of the documentary “The Need to Grow” at the Chehalis Theater on April 22 and a May 5 Friends and Family Night at the Olympic Club, where half of all sales would have benefitted the market. Both venues are closed because of COVID-19 restrictions, so the fundraisers did not happen. Shankle said that most farmers markets are in need of monetary donations as well as donations of goods such as hand soap, face masks and gloves. She noted that community volunteers are also needed to help during market days as well, especially because some of their usual volunteers may be in high-risk populations and so cannot participate this year.
“It takes the community,” Shankle said of what makes the markets possible.
For those markets opening this year, life under the specter of COVID-19 will certainly make for a different farmers market season, Shankle noted. First, markets will have designated entrance and exit areas. At the entrance, shoppers will be asked to wash their hands prior to entering and will be advised that if they are having any flu- or cold-like symptoms to not enter. With the exception of caregivers or parents who cannot leave their children at home, Shankle said parties are being asked to send only one member to do the shopping at the market. Once inside the market, vendors only will handle produce and shoppers will be asked to maintain social distancing by observing signs directing them to acceptable areas inside the market.
Perhaps the hardest request of shoppers, Shankle noted, is that at least for the time being, they need to shop with a purpose much in the same way as shoppers at grocery stores are being advised. Shankle said this directive is also difficult for farmers, who enjoy getting to know their customers and sharing their passions with the community through the market.
“Farmers markets are a social event. People come to spend some time, chit chat and all that but right now we can’t do that,” Shankle said. “We have to change our mindset. People need to eat. Our farmers are growing plenty of stuff and we need to find a way to get it to the shoppers. For now, we have to do it where you come in, get your stuff and go home and stay safe, which goes against the know your farmers, know your food thing. But right now, we need to keep our farmers safe and our customers safe.”
Another social distancing change is that shoppers will be asked as much as possible to use debit or credit cards to pay, or to purchase tokens at the market booth. The tokens, which can be spent exactly like money at any farmers market booth, can be sanitized. As in years past, local farmers markets will accept SNAP benefits. A generous partnership allows a dollar for dollar match on EBT dollars spent at the Centralia, Chehalis, Toledo, Morton markets, with no limit. Markets are also set up to accept WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program dollars.
Some farmers markets in other areas of the state have restricted their sales this year to only produce farmers. Shankle explained that this is mostly because those larger markets lack the space to adequately social distance with all of their vendors present so they are focusing on food only. But since Lewis County area markets are much smaller, all vendors will be included as long as there is enough room to accommodate them. If space were to become an issue for any of the markets, food items would likely take precedence, she noted.
Out of the challenges of social distancing, local farmers markets have also found ways to innovate. In the fall of 2019, the Toledo Thursday Market made the decision to become a year-round market, thanks to the availability of space in a new downtown Toledo building. That market has continued to be open Thursday evenings with minimal vendors. Market Manager Jamie Cummings explained that some vendors simply were not prepared with products for a year-round season and others, more recently, have decided to stay home until after the COVID-19 danger has passed. She said the concept of a year-round market in Toledo has been well received by the community in spite of recent social distancing. Cummings said the market board considered closing when the shelter-in-place order was made but decided they needed to stay open.
“We realized how important it is for our vendors to have a place to market their goods and for the local community to have an intact supply chain available where they can get the goods they need,” Cummings said. “There really is an issue with us needing food chains right now and it’s less guaranteed for our community if farmers don’t have a way to get their products out there.”
Whether or not they are able to be present at the market, Toledo Thursday Market vendors have continued to have a way to get their goods to the public. Toledo Thursday Market has been offering an online ordering option since mid-March. In Early April, it partnered with Local Line to host the service, which allows shoppers to pre-order and pay for a variety of items from several vendors on one website and pick them up at the market. Cummings said the plan for the spring and summer market season is for Toledo Thursday Market to continue to be open to the public, with the possibility when the weather is nicer for some vendors to be outside the building if needed.
“With having fewer vendors, it’s easy for us to maintain social distancing,” Cummings said of market days in Toledo. “As we get further into the spring, we’re playing it by ear what the various restrictions will be. So, at this time, we’re still playing with what it will look like.”
Shankle said the other Lewis County farmers markets are looking to Toledo’s example and working on a plan to use a similar system throughout the county. Right now, they are holding regular virtual meetings to figure out a way to create a hub where shoppers could purchase from a wider variety of farmers market vendors and choose a local market for pick-up.
Local Farmers Markets Plan Opening Days
Centralia Farmers Market
Centraliafarmersmarket.org or @CentraliaFarmersmarket on Facebook
• Regular season opens 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays starting April 24 at 109 W. High Street, Centralia (Centralia Factory Outlets behind Papa Pete’s Pizza) and runs weekly through September
Community Farmers Market, Chehalis
chehalisfarmersmarket.com or @CommunityFarmersMarketChehalis on Facebook
• The Board of the Community Farmers Market of Chehalis is moving forward with plans to have their annual Spring Plant Sale on May 5 and to open their regular season on June 2 but need more sponsors for this year and are closely monitoring whether social distancing requirements will allow events to move forward. Follow the market on Facebook for more information as it is available. Donations can be made on the market website.
Morton Farmers Market
Fompwa.org or @mortonfarmersmarket on Facebook
• Regular season opens 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 23 at 700 Main Ave. (grassy area adjacent to Gust Backstrom Park) in Morton and runs Saturdays through Sept. 26 (except Jubilee Weekend)
Packwood Farmers Market
@PackwoodFarmersMarket on Facebook
• The Packwood Farmers Market released the following statement on March 18: To be sure, our summer remains uncertain. As we see how COVID-19 unfolds, we will assess the viability of the Packwood Farmers Market 2020 season as the time gets closer. Right now, we’re in the process of talking with our vendors to see how they would like to move forward. At this time, we would love to keep the market open if the customers and vendors are comfortable and can do so safely. Feel free to leave thoughts, comments or suggestions (on our Facebook page) as we navigate these times together as a community.
Tenino Farmers Market
TeninoFarmersMarket.org or @TeninoFarmersMarket on Facebook
• Regular season begins 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 18 on Olympia Street in Tenino and runs Saturdays through September
Toledo Thursday Market
Toledothursdaymarket.com or @ToledoWAThursdayMarket on Facebook
• Open 2-6 p.m. Thursdays at 115 Ramsey Way, Toledo (Steamboat Landing) year-round
• Online ordering for pickup at market currently available every week
Winlock Saturday Market
Winwa.org or @winwaorg on Facebook
• A market was held in 2019 that took place Saturdays June through September across from Cedar Village IPA. No information is currently available regarding the 2020 market. Continue to check the website and Facebook page for updates.
For more information on the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program go to www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/home-and-community-services/senior-farmers-market-nutrition-program. For more information on the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition program, go to www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-how-apply
