The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Farmer’s Market to promote local food for Earth Day

    graphic of earth

    Graphic Courtesy of Reconnect

    This Earth Day, the Reconnect Farmers Market student demonstration will promote sustainable farming practices, “real food” and community with local food producers.  

    The market will feature three local farmers and vendors as well as one student vendor, selling a variety of all-natural food products. Booths will be set up outside the Student Union this Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. 

    “One of our biggest goals with this is to show our appreciation for vendors,” said Cristina Berthelot, marketing manager of the Spring 2015 Reconnect Farmers Market. “They’re not just someone here to make money; it’s all part of a bigger picture, which is to connect students to their local food producers and build community.” 

    The market has been hosted by Reconnect on campus twice a semester since fall 2011. 

    Nibha Manandhar, president of Reconnect, discussed the importance of promoting “real food” on campus.

    “I think awareness about the food we consume and where your food comes from is important,” said Manandhar. “With local, chemical-free produce, you are guaranteed that your food is ‘real,’ food that nourishes producers, consumers, communities and the earth.” 

    Berthelot considers “real” food to be “products produced with a concern for producers, consumers, communities and the earth.” She feels strongly about developing relationships with the local food producers and promoting awareness of the environmental impacts of food production.

    “You want to know where your food comes from and build a relationship with those people because then you can trust where it comes from, know what’s in it and appreciate the hard work that went into making it,” said Berthelot. “To me, eating local food and knowing the people who made the food is very satisfying. It makes whatever I’m eating 100 times better because I know exactly who touched the food before me and who made it.”

    Vendor participants include Johndales Farm, Locally Preserved, Blue Ribbon Pies and Stephanie Travis, president of Student Government Association. Johndales Farm features Louisiana strawberries; Locally Preserved, a New Orleans-based business, provides syrups and jellies using five or fewer ingredients. Blue Ribbon Pies is Hammond-based, featuring homemade pies and other desserts. 

    After hearing about the upcoming Farmers Market, Travis contacted Berthelot last minute about participating and selling her food products.

    “We have a student vendor who is a surprise special guest who will be doing jams and pickling,” said Berthelot. “Stephanie Travis has a whole ton of stuff she made that she wants to sell.” 

    Travis possesses a great passion for sustainable food and the importance of healthful eating.

    “The statement ‘you are what you eat’ holds true; four out of the top 10 reasons for death in America are related to food,” said Travis. “Diabetes will affect one out of four people. We need to reconsider what we place in our bodies, and local organic solutions offer that. Eating fast food, highly processed food is killing us and putting pressure on our healthcare system. We need a society that promotes healthy eating.”

    The vendor list varies every semester depending on availability. In addition to vendors, this semester the farmers market will feature a booth dedicated to inspiring student participation in gardening.  

    “We’ll have a table where Reconnect will give away or sell seedlings,” said Berthelot. “It will be a variety of different herbs. It’s super easy to grow in your dorms, and whenever you grow it yourself, you tend to take more responsibility for it and appreciate it more.”

    Berthelot encouraged students to get involved in the market to continue its success.

    “It basically can only exist with Southeastern student participation,” said Berthelot. “While most of our vendors are here because they have strong values for what we’re doing, we don’t want to go home without selling their stuff. I do a lot of marketing and promotion to make sure their turnout is as big as possible.”

    Most of the vendors only accept cash transactions. For more information regarding Reconnect or local farming, email Reconnect at [email protected] or Berthelot at [email protected].

    “It’s truly a joy to provide quality food to individuals who don’t have time to provide for themselves,” said Travis. “It’s my dream job to sell goods at a farmers market. I’m super excited to be there.”

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