Chicago Market Newsletter — July 2023

Uptown Farmers Market Call for Volunteers

Tomorrow will be the eleventh Uptown Farmers Market this year. It's been a great season in Sunnyside Mall and compared to the last two seasons, we are seeing nearly triple the attendance! Our vendors are all doing well — often selling out — and we're looking to continue to add and adjust as the season moves on.

Along with that growth, we're also looking for additional volunteers, especially during the setup shift of the market from 12:30pm to 2:15pm. We are also looking for artistic types as our amazing neighborhood chalker and artist, Michi, is taking some time off. If you're interested in volunteering at the market, you can sign up HERE or email Kate for more information.

See you in the Mall!

Foodshed Champions

Foodshed Champions raises up the activists, advocates, and organizations in our foodshed who are making a difference. Learn more about them and support any way you can.

The Abundance Setting was founded by James Beard Award-winning chefs Beverly Kim, Johnny Clark, and Chicago Market Owner, Sarah Stegner. The non-profit's mission is to encourage and support the advancement of working mothers in the hospitality industry to have a thriving career while maintaining a quality life at home. One way they do that is through the 3 Chefs 3 Moms program, connecting moms in the culinary industry with established chefs for 6 weeks of mentoring and opportunities for professional growth in both Chicago and LA.

As our Owner Sarah Stegner puts it:

"The idea is to connect women and mothers working in the kitchen to mentorship and exposure to restaurateurs that can give them every opportunity to succeed."

And, she adds this, which we love too: "Part of this is also sharing farm sources and understanding seasonality and how to work with farmers." 

Hold the Date — Annual Meeting

Being part of a co-op means attending the Annual Owners Meeting, and we're planning it for late afternoon/early evening on Sunday, September 24. Hold the date on your calendar and we'll get time and location announced soon.

Follow along on the process of your store with this visual of our Timeline.

Here are the most recent progress steps:

• Our first bank loan closed! (read all about it)
• The construction documents are complete and ready to send to permitting.
• Final paperwork was submitted to the electrical utility in June and we await their approval — then the permitting process can begin.

Uptown Farmers Market Community Corner

Our farmers market celebrates organizations in our community by providing them a booth at our market. Be sure to visit them. Upcoming Community Corner participants are:

July 12 — Alexis Zimmer State Farm
July 19 —  Tutoring Chicago, GameOn! Sports
July 26 — Citizens' Climate Lobby
August 2 — Chicago Pet Club 

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• Board Meeting — August 7, 7:00-9:00pm (Note this is a week later due to the holiday)
• Uptown Farmers Market — every Wednesday from 2:30 - 7:00pm

In the News

• Update: First Bank Loan On the Books
• How We Spent Our Summer Vacation  — an Owner visits one of our farmers market farms
• Bowman Gardens — business Owner testimonial video
• Video Updates — project progress and farm/producer visits

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News from Our Business Owners

Collective Resource Compost: 

"We’re particularly busy this time of year helping music festivals and venues to lessen their environmental impact and we can help guide you in starting the conversation and integrating composting into events you are involved with. These can be as small as block parties or family reunions but can be scaled to bigger events that involve food vendors. An added benefit to you is that you’ll feel better about attending."

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Get Involved

Your Co-op is a nationally recognized project that will have incredible impact on our local economy and the local food system. Invest in Preferred Shares now—you benefit and your Co-op can lower its reliance on bank debt. 

 

Not up for investing but want to help your Co-op financially?

• Donate any amount here. (can be tax-deductible and recurring)
• Level Up your Ownership if you're not already a Cultivating Owner.
• Donate to our Ownership Grant Program.