Customers at this weekend's Dane County Farmers' Market at the Monona Terrace will not only get the chance to buy fresh produce, but will also be able to donate their purchases to an annual food drive.
The Dane County Farmers' Market Food Drive, which is in its second year, will combine the long-running weekly farmer's market with a community effort to fight hunger throughout the county.
Typically held on Capitol Square, the farmers' market moves to the Monona Terrace during the winter months, but the cold weather doesn't stop vendors or customers from doing business.
Larry Johnson, market manager for the Dane County Farmers' Market, said about 45 vendors will be on hand selling their products in hopes shoppers will pick up something extra to contribute to the food drive.
[Customers] can put those items right into the barrel or bring something else too,"" Johnson said.
The food drive, co-sponsored by Friends of the Dane County Farmers' Market and the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Inc., will take items purchased at the market in addition to personal care and non-perishable items.
Chris Brockel of the CAC said his organization began going to the farmers' market every Saturday to collect food as a part of their Gleaners program, which takes perishable and prepared foods to food pantries that distribute the food to local households in need.
Brockel said Farmers' Market vendors are some of the biggest contributors to the program by donating over 12 tons of fresh products each year, prompting the CAC to team up with the vendors for the food drive.
""The vendors have been so generous to us '¦ we encourage people to actually purchase from the vendors [and] then donate as sort of a reward and a thank you,"" Brockel said.
The food drive will take place at the Monona Terrace from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday.
