Jim Graeve
St. Joseph
Wow! 25 years ago, I was chairperson of Healthy Community Partners; I helped get it started. Jim Meyer, Leander Meyer’s son, was chosen to lead the committee to get a farmers’ market started in St. Joseph.
With a $5,000 grant from the Initiative Foundation and volunteers, we were able to get it off the ground.
Four of the original producers of healthy locally grown food included Rus “Strawberry” Willenbring, Shelly Honor Carlson, Todd Beumer of Collegeville Orchard and Jerry Ennerich. They have been showing up for the past 25 years every Friday from 3-6 p.m. from May to October next to Resurrection Lutheran Church in St. Joseph.
Come this July 4 in our St. Joseph parade, sponsored by the Lions Club, hopefully we will see these folks on the float, sponsored by the St. Joseph Farmers’ Market. Let us give them a warm welcome and thanks for their contribution to our fair city!
We were lucky and successful to become certified to accept “food stamps” as payment for produce – usually not happening in year one of a farmers’ market. Credit goes to Jim Meyer, Sister Phyllis Plantenberg of St. Benedict’s Monastery (now deceased), Mary Niedenfuer, Shelly Honer Carlson and countless others who prove that when you have a good idea – and great volunteers – much success can be obtained.
P.S. Thanks to the Newsleaders for giving us the news and events in our area.
