jaimetunge

As told through the eyes of a junior board member:

I am not good with making resolutions for the new year, let alone keeping them, but I did decide this year I would volunteer more. I am sure we all say that, along with eating healthier and exercising more but I am actually proud to report that I have made progress with my resolution as I volunteered at Green City a number of times now.

I started this spring when the market was still indoors at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The market had themes of meat and potatoes, cheese and green eggs and ham. The indoor markets were held every other Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the crowd came hungry! See photos below.

The indoor markets were fun — but I couldn’t wait to get outside! On May 4, 2011 Green City officially opened outside in Lincoln Park. There were loads of fresh greens, asparagus, rhubarb, flowers, cheese, mushrooms, potatoes, herbs and more out. Due to cold weather other spring fruits and vegetables were delayed a bit. Volunteering for the indoor market has a similar set up. I usually got in for the 9-11 a.m. shifts so I cleaned up the coffee area and table and was there to answer any general questions from the market goers. I also would greet and count people as they came in the door.

For the outdoor markets, I volunteered from 7-9 a.m. on Wednesday mornings and 9-11 a.m. on Saturday mornings. The early shifts required us to set up of the informational tables with fresh coffee and all the signage needed for the day to direct what was taking place at the market. We placed tote bags with the new GCM logo for view, helped set up any produce from the market needed for field trips for that day and went around with signage for all farms/vendors.

I absolutely loved volunteering! It was a great way to hang out at the market while learning more about what was taking place, what was in season and general details on the farms and farmers. It’s a great way to meet others who shop/frequent the market and introduce them to different farms or farmers that they may not know of. There are chef demos each market, chefs hanging around shopping the market and dogs galore!

Take a look at these photos below and if you are interested in volunteering this summer at the market, click here to download the application: http://www.greencitymarket.org/about/volunteering.asp and send it along to JB members Sara and Lauren.

See you out at the market this season, Wednesdays & Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.!