Building a Community from the Ground Up

This summer, the coordinating team had the opportunity to help friend and fellow Brown student Tom Sullivan '15 with his photo essay on BMSP for the Swearer Sparks blog. We were thrilled when Tom contacted us in June saying he was interested in covering the program. Tom came to a few Market Days over the summer, showing up early to talk to farmers and snap pics while they unloaded, and later in the day to talk to shareholders (and pick up his own share!).

Farmer Chuck Currie of Freedom Food Farm delivering beets at Market Day.

Photo by Tom Sullivan.

One awesome outcome of this project was the photos themselves, of course. But another, more valuable outcome was the chance for us to step back and reflect on what this program has accomplished. As a team, we focus so much on the day-to-day logistics of making Market Shares happen each week - working with Hillel and the Ratty, scheduling volunteers, ordering the share, depositing checks, answering emails, etc. - that we sometimes forget how many people this program affects each week, and how many it has touched in the past eight years. Farmers, shareholders, volunteers and coordinators alike have come together through BMSP for hundreds (!) of Thursdays. We all eat the same produce each week, and together have produced a staggering impact on the Rhode Island area local food economy.

We hope that you'll have a second this week, and every other week, at Market Day to chat with the other people around you. We have so many things to be proud of, and we couldn't do it without you!

Check out Tom's piece here.

See you Thursday!

Anna, Antonia, Blain, Erin, Jenna, Meg, and Taylor

The Fall 2014 BMSP Coordinating Team