After a year of renovations, the Kalamazoo Farmers Market will soon reopen at its Bank Street site, where customers can shop fresh foods and handmade goods from over 100 local farmers, food businesses, and artisans. Beginning with its Opening Day on May 7th, the Kalamazoo Farmers Market will operate every Saturday from 7 am to 2 pm through November 19, 2022. The first phase of construction is expected to be complete this spring, including renovated vendor pavilions, restrooms, parking lots, the realignment of Bank St., and new access to the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail. Tuesday Markets and Thursday Markets, now both 8 am to 1 pm, will run from June 7, 2022 through mid-October.
The PFC (People’s Food Co-op of Kalamazoo) is a natural grocer that has been growing and supporting the local food system in Kalamazoo since 1970. In 2013, PFC began serving as operator of the Kalamazoo Farmers Market in partnership with the City of Kalamazoo and the community of vendors.
Owned by over 3,800 community members and governed by a board of directors, PFC is values-driven. All of their decisions—from the products on the shelves to the ways they engage with the community—are guided by their goals to nourish equity and resilience.
Everyone is welcome, and you don’t have to be an owner to shop at PFC. In the store, you’ll find a full array of natural products and healthful foods at reasonable prices, with a focus on organic and local. In 2021, nearly 33% of all PFC’s product purchasing were from farms or other producers within 100 miles of PFC or the state of Michigan — that’s over $532,000 invested in the local food system, increasing the community’s resiliency.
To help ensure everyone regardless of income has access to fresh local food, PFC has robust food assistance currency programs. Shoppers can utilize SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks at both locations, and Senior Project Fresh & WIC Project Fresh at just the Market. In 2021, over $200,000 of food assistance dollars were spent at KFM with local farms and food businesses. Having this infrastructure in place and consistently in use has been a critical part of nourishing the Kalamazoo area community, eaters and growers alike.
Whether it’s through their storefront or the farmers market, PFC is all about connecting community to fresh, local food.
Visit the Kalamazoo Farmers Market and the People’s Food Co-op
- Mark your calendar for the opening date of the Outdoor Market: Saturdays from May 7 to Mid November 19, 7am-2pm, 1204 Bank Street Kalamazoo, MI 49001
- Stop and shop at the People’s Food Co-op: 507 Harrison St, Kalamazoo, 49007 every day 8am-8pm
Katie Justa is the Marketing Manager for the People’s Food Co-op and Kalamazoo Farmers Market.
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