Community Farmers Markets works out in our communities in a variety of outreach and education programs. Our Director of Programs, Jenna Mobley, coordinates most of this work, planning lessons to engage people in local and healthy food. Here’s her write up (and photos) of our work with the International Rescue Committee.

We were excited to have students from Clarkston High School join us at the Decatur Farmers Market as a part of their Youth Food Justice Program, founded in October of 2014 as a collaboration between the high school and the International Rescue Committee.

The IRC’s Youth Food Justice Program aims to increase the health and wellness of CHS students by engaging them in active, outdoor work centered on the school’s 350-square-foot sustainable vegetable garden and promote deeper understanding of healthy eating and food access in the local community. That is accomplished through:

• An afterschool Garden Club each Friday, where students learn to grow vegetables
• A Youth Food Justice internship program for 5 high schoolers, focused on gardening, work readiness, healthy eating, and community service
• Workshops and tastings during the school day
• Two food-related field trips each semester that provide service opportunities and give youth a deeper understanding of food access issues and their local food system

One of their field trips this semester was to our Decatur Farmers Market. Students shared the observable differences between traditional grocery stores and the local farmers market and discussed the benefits of shopping locally. They were then given the opportunity to meet the vendors, ask questions, and shop around the market.

We are looking forward to continuing and expanding this partnership with the Youth Food Justice Program in coming months!