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Wednesday, May 13, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
MARKET: Passion,
creativity drive effort
for local food access
Continued from page 1
to elevate the manager9s role
and professionalize it. It9s
hard running something like
that on a volunteer basis,=
Tehan said.
Last year9s managers,
T. Lee Brown and Rachel
Kelleher, played a major role
keeping the market going and
leaving it in a healthy posi-
tion. With their hard work
and efforts, Seed to Table is
taking over a market with a
strong foundation that9s ready
to grow.
Hiring part-time manager
Caroline Hager was an excit-
ing step. She and Tehan share
a passion and vision for how
sustainable, local farming can
promote healthier nutritious
food for Sisters Country.
They also see big potential
with Seed to Table oversight
that will integrate education,
support for local businesses
and access to fresh food for
those experiencing food
insecurity.
Hager has been volunteer-
ing with Tehan on the Seed to
Table farm and felt an instant
connection to the mission
the nonprofit is implement-
ing for the community and
Sisters9 schools. With educa-
tion and professional experi-
ence in business marketing,
education and community
engagement, Hager saw the
market manager position as a
perfect fit. She started in late
April and has been working
to make the market a safe and
welcoming experience, espe-
cially during challenges asso-
ciated with COVID-19. Her
new role includes making
sure there9s a diverse array of
high-quality vendors and get-
ting the word out about the
market.
Since she first stepped
foot on the Seed to Table
farm and met Audrey Tehan,
Hager wanted to be involved.
<I got butterflies in my
stomach and knew I wanted
to be a part of it,= she said.
<I9ve volunteered in India and
Africa, but there9s something
very special about the energy
at Seed to Table. There9s a
humbleness and it felt so
approachable and comfort-
able to jump in. I got to wit-
ness the harmonious connec-
tion with Mahonia Gardens
who farms next door. Since
then I knew I wanted to be
involved further and be a
part of the Farmer9s Market.
When this position opened, I
felt like I was ready and had
the passion and experience to
take on the job.=
Hager is using her back-
ground in marketing, project
management and event coor-
dination as she steps into her
new role.
<I love a challenge and the
chance to apply my creative
side,= she said. <The timing
with COVID-19 has made it a
really important time to apply
that passion and creativity to
help make a safe and success-
ful farmer9s market.=
Tehan appreciates Hager9s
efforts and her understanding
of Seed to Table9s mission
of enhancing the health and
wellness of the Sisters com-
munity while supporting the
economic prosperity of local
producers.
<We want to connect our
producers directly with con-
sumers, which is good for
everyone involved. Health
and wellness ties into our
carbon footprint, environ-
mental health and works well
within the scope of COVID-
19 regulations. Connecting
producers with buyers in an
open-air environment means
less hands touching pro-
duce before it ends up in our
kitchens. There9s no middle
person,= said Tehan
Another big change to
help support vulnerable pop-
ulations and to increase sales,
will be the option for online
preordering and curbside
pickup. People can preorder
by Thursday evening and
come pick up with minimal
contact with others.
<Seed to Table has
COVID-19 emergency food
relief fund applications avail-
able online so families can
receive discounts on our pro-
duce& it9ll be a sliding scale
of discounts. Farmers Market
is working on accepting
SNAP,= said Hager.
The timing with
COVID-19 has made it a
really important time to
apply that passion and
creativity to help make
a safe and successful
farmer’s market.
— Caroline Hager
Continuing an emphasis
on childhood education, the
Market will offer a weekly
focus on health and wellness
education.
<Each week we9ll provide
take-home education kits for
students. They9ll bring home
kits for that week9s theme,
like cooking and math, or a
worm composting kit. We9re
Now Open
on a limited basis.
CALL WITH
QUESTIONS!
Trevor Frideres, D . M . D .
Greg Everson, D . M . D .
541-549-2011
491 E. Main Ave. • Sisters
www.sistersdental.com
Hours: Mon., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tues.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
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PHOTO PROVIDED
Caroline Hager looks forward to a safe and successful farmer’s market.
hoping the market will be a
pick-up place for materials
that supplement the online
learning that children are
doing,= said Tehan.
The Market will be con-
figured to reflect the cur-
rent State criteria for what9s
essential and allowed at
Farmer9s markets. Booths
will be spaced 10 feet apart.
There will be a designated
entrance and exit to the mar-
ket. COVID-19 vendor policy
requires that there9s no sam-
pling at the markets.
Tehan says taking on the
Market feels like a natural
progression for Seed to Table.
<Even though it9s a chal-
lenging year to take it on for
the first time, it9s also the
most important time to pro-
vide this service,= she said.
To learn more about
the Seed to Table preorder
options, visit www.seedto
tableoregon.org.
Sisters Farmers Market
will launch its season on
Sunday, June 7 from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m.