The Forsyth Farmers’ Market, South Georgia’s largest farmers market, recently received $5,000 in grant funding from AgSouth Farm Credit as part of the organization’s annual Growing Our Communities Grant program. Forsyth Farmers’ Market Executive Director Dr. Deidre Grim accepted a check from AgSouth Farm Credit Relationship Manager Zack Murphy at a special presentation at the market’s office in Thunderbolt, Ga. on Jan. 12.
Each year, AgSouth Farm Credit supports nonprofit organizations and farmers’ markets with grants of up to $5,000 to support the future of agriculture in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Forsyth Farmers’ Market was one of 40 grant winners selected from a pool of 274 applicants for 2024.
The AgSouth grant will be used to support the Forsyth Farmers’ Market’s Youth Booth program, which provides an engaging platform for children ages three to 14 to discover healthy food and to gain insight into the local food system. This grant support will help subsidize the cost of weekly Youth Booth activities, nutrition education curriculum and farm-fresh food items, so these offerings will remain free for children to enjoy.
“Our grant selection committee was extremely impressed by the Forsyth Farmers’ Market’s Youth Booth and by the ongoing commitment to educating children about agriculture,” said Murphy. “We hope this grant will help fund Youth Booth programming in 2024.”
The Forsyth Farmers’ Market’s Youth Booth equips the next generation with the knowledge and passion to address food justice and health equity. The Youth Booth program supports the overall success of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market through increased family attendance, supporting participating farmers and improving the overall health of the greater Savannah community.
“At the Forsyth Farmers’ Market, we believe children are our future and want to plant the seeds for healthy eating and to cultivate a basic understanding of local food production at a young age,” explains Grim. “We’re deeply honored to be awarded an AgSouth Growing Our Communities Grant and are incredibly grateful to AgSouth for their support of our Youth Booth program. We invite parents to bring their children to the market each week, so they can participate in our hands-on activities and meet our inspiring farmers.”
To learn more about the Forsyth Farmers’ Market, please visit forsythfarmersmarket.com.
