Here’s how:

1. Go to: http://farmland.org/vote
2. Look for the zipcode box. Our zipcode is: 18229
3. Click the small blue “Vote” button.
4. Enter your name and email address. Your email is only used to validate your vote. You do have the option of signing up for American Farmland Trust’s newsletter, but you don’t have to.
5. Click the gray “Complete Your Vote” button at the bottom, and you’re done!

 

 *Upon completion, you are redirected to American Farmland Trust’s donation page. You DO NOT have to donate to have your vote count. You are done and can exit out.

Please vote today for The Jim Thorpe Farmers Market to become one of America’s Favorite Farmers Markets!

About the contest: The contest is a nation-wide challenge to see which farmers markets can rally the most support from its customers. The goal is to promote the connection between fresh local food and the local farms and farmland that supply it. On August 31st, one boutique, one small, one medium and one large farmers market will benamed America’s Favorite Farmers Market in 2010. But this competition is about more than just being number one. It is about supporting your local farms and farmers market.

The location is family friendly – Memorial Park has one of the coolest playgrounds around! There will be music in the gazebo, and most importantly, all the freshest foods that money can buy.

Local Food is Fresher & More Nutritious. How long have those green beans been sitting on the shelf at the grocery store? What about those peppers? Research has proven that the vitamins and nutrients in produce begin to break down as soon as it is picked. Fresh produce from the farmers market is second only to picking produce straight from your own back yard.

Open Land is Precious. Here in Pennsylvania, we’ve watched as farm after farm has vanished in the name of progress. Some of the most fertile lands around have been turned into housing developments, industrial complexes, and strip malls. When you support local farmers, you’re protecting the scenic landscape for which Pennsylvania is known.

Local Food is Safer. Local food doesn’t mingle in large factories. It is grown on a small scale right near the market, minimizing health risks caused by contamination (Remember the spinach outbreak? The constant beef recalls?)

Local Food is Better for the Environment. Buying your produce at the farmers market uses far less non-renewable resources like oil. Think of all the fuel it takes to truck in lettuce from California, or to fly in plums from Peru!

The market is currently accepting donations, volunteers, more farmers, musicians, and community organizations for our community table for the upcoming season.

For more information, please email Bob at info@jimthorpefarmersmarket.org

By AL ZAGOFSKY
For the Pocono Record
March 02, 2009

A volunteer group is working to create a farmer’s market in Jim Thorpe with hopes to get it underway in late June or early July.

To kick off and raise money for the project, organizer Jonathan Young held a community pancake breakfast at his Jim Thorpe home recently.

Amid walnut and blueberry whole grain pancakes and a variety of fresh fruit and toppings that he and fellow volunteer Maya Kowalcyk cooked and served, Young discussed his efforts to found a Jim Thorpe Farmer’s Market.

To read the complete article, go here: Volunteers organizing a Jim Thorpe Farmer’s Market