AVAILABILITY/NEWSLETTER

Hello!
tHE mARKET IS OPEN FOR ORDERING FROM NOW UNTILL tUESDAY AT 8 PM.
At the end of the newsletter is a list of the available products for this week. You may go to www.upstatesc.locallygrown.net to order; also to read more about the products, how they are grown, and about the growers themselves. This week, Pick-up will continue to be on Thursday evening from 4:30-6 pm at West End Coffee Company, 18 Markley Street, Greenville, or, an alternative pick-up is offered at the Saturday Market, Main Street, Greenville, 8-11am. You will choose after clicking on “Process this order”

OUR GOAL is readily available Locally Grown foods DIRECT TO YOU from the farmer. We are geared toward sustainably grown; that which is not only free of chemicals, but in practice, reduces our footprint and returns the tilth to the soil we farm. Small growers need a way to deliver to you without becoming huge, impersonal, conglomerates. We think the Locally Grown network is a good vehicle to do this.
We are growing rapidly! In order for this to work well, we need more growers, more variety, more members, and more help in the operations. At first, this will be in the form of volunteers like you. Your help could be in the form of ideas, or pitching in to help pack orders once a month, calling to remind members of pick-up, getting a group together as some have, to pick up orders for each other.
Publicizing our market, and bringing a friend along…these are all ways that some of you have helped in the past and can do in the future. “Can do” is the key. We CAN DO this, together.

BRAIN STORM MEETING REPORT:
We had a fine turn-out at Leopard Forest Coffee Company last Saturday afternoon. Margie Vest headed up the meeting. Thanks, Margie! There were several guests, who have given their endorsement to our efforts. In the group were at least three marketing professionals, as well as business owners, growers, environmental activists, and very enthusiastic members! The discussion was lively, upbeat, and enthusiastic. This fantastic group, along with you great members who have contacted us with ideas plus offers of help, have shown us that upstate locally grown is needed, alive, well, and has a fantastic forcast for future growth!

If you weren’t able to make this first session, you are still a part of everything that’s going on, as much as you want to be. This is an open group, open to ideas, open to all suggestions for growth, open to you and your needs. We really want to hear your voice in all matters.

The “core” comittee will be meeting again shortly, also will be clicking away on line, taking action on many of the ideas presented. If you would like to have a voice, too, please shoot me or Margie Vest an Email so that we may keep yoiu in the loop.
Thanks to all for the support!
Donna and the gang from Upstate SC Locally Grown Market!