By 6 am most Saturdays of the year, the parking lot behind the Roanoke Co+op is bustling. Farm trucks are pulling in. Bakers are popping up tents. Potters are carefully unloading their wares onto unfolded tables.

LEAP’s market operators are in a hundred places at once – unlocking the supply trailer, checking for trash in the parking lot, helping vendors know where to set up. The scene is like an orchestra warming up on stage – everyone doing their part so that by showtime a beautiful event will unfold, seemingly seamlessly.

At 8 am, Grandin Village Farmers Market opens. Some customers rush in. Others line up at the market operator tent to exchange payments for SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, and match tokens that will be spent with vendors.

This is a farmers market many know and love: A live musician creates a festive vibe. There's a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that changes from week to week and from vendor to vendor. A wide range of offerings makes shopping irresistible – fragrant flowers, delicious doughnuts, specialty mushrooms, pasture-raised meats, herbal tea and spice blends, locally roasted coffee, soaps, honey products, fresh squeezed juices, and prepared breakfasts and lunches that invite munching and lingering.

It all looks so easy. The work that goes into its success can be invisible.

We’ve been asked why there’s a LEAP branded tent at the front of markets? And why there’s a donation jar on the table? Don’t the vendors pay a fee to cover the costs of putting on the market?

‍As we begin our annual October fundraising drive, we want to lift the curtain and explain what it takes to make a market happen. We know many of you frequent Grandin Village Farmers Market and West End Farmers Market. We want you to understand all that takes place before the first customer opens their wallet.

‍First, let’s talk about preparation. It begins in January, when LEAP’s Food Access Manager Connie Kenny invites vendors to apply to sell at LEAP markets. (Hundreds reach out; about 40 become LEAP vendors.) The planning continues every week, all year. What special events should be scheduled and what will those look like? What musicians and food trucks are available from week to week? How to make sure the vendor balance is perfect, despite scheduling conflicts and emergencies? And how to guarantee there’s enough staff all summer, when beach trips and family gatherings beckon.

‍Also maintenance. Tents and tables must be ordered, cleaned, repaired, moved, and stored all year. Each tent has anchors in the ground and weights to keep it sturdy, even in the wind. There is no structure at Grandin Village Farmers Market and the market is held outside, all year. Tents are the only guard against beating sun, pouring rain, or brisk cold.

‍There’s fundraising for our food access programs. LEAP staff write grants and raise money to make sure we have the funds to cover the $1 match for every $1 spent that allows SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC shoppers to take home more fresh fruits and vegetables. As food becomes more expensive, these food access programs are a lifeline for seniors and families.

‍And problem solving. On any given Saturday morning, cars might still be parked in the lot (despite the signs we’ve posted). A dog might get out of hand. Someone might wander up looking to pick a fight. A storm could blow in; lightning could strike. The market operators must negotiate it all – balancing vendor needs with customer needs with neighborhood needs.

All of this takes resources. It takes people and supplies and time to have conversations. All of it costs money.Vendors do pay a fee to sell at LEAP markets. But we keep it low. It’s too low to cover the actual costs of running our markets. Our mission is to support local food systems where farmers and food producers can make a living, and shoppers of all income levels can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

This is why we reach out to you, our customers and supporters, every year in October. You help us bridge the gap between what it costs to pay staff, buy supplies, and fund food access programs, and what we earn from vendor fees, grants, and sponsorships.

This year, we've set a goal of raising $15,000  by the end of the month, in recognition of our 15 years of supporting local food in Roanoke.

‍What are LEAP’s farmers markets worth to you?

Donations can be made online; sent by mail to PO Box 3249, Roanoke, VA 24015; or dropped off at The LEAP Hub (1027 Patterson Ave.) anytime Monday through Friday between 10 am and 4 pm.

Questions? Reach Communications Manager Christina Nifong at christina@leapforlocalfood.org or 540-632-1657.

Thank you for your generous support.