Every Saturday morning downtown, a community of farmers, townspeople and students draws together. Bigger than last year, the size and energy of the Middlebury Farmer’s Market keep growing. With each additional tent that is set up between Marble Works and Otter Creek, more farmers have been encouraged to go to the trouble to pack up their produce and bring it to Middlebury to sell themselves — something that a few years ago wouldn’t have made much sense. For the people of Middlebury, the Farmer’s Market has given them the opportunity not only to know where their food comes from, but to get to know who their food comes from. The market also serves another purpose, as it has become a common place to socialize with neighbors, learn a new recipe or get heard as a musician.
The force behind the market’s renewal has been Pam Taylor, Middlebury Market Coordinator, who from a very young age has been a constant source of energy and creativity. Flying airplanes by the time she was nine, and flying them solo from Cape Cod to Maine by 16, Taylor was “never afraid to take a chance.” Nor has she ever been deterred by the prospect of hard work: to get access to the planes, she bartered her labor as a snack stand attendant in a Taunton, MA airport.
After a going through college twice, teaching elementary school and living in many parts of the country, she came to Middlebury 14 years ago and is raising three kids.
“I’m proud to live in Vermont,” she said.
It is clear that Taylor’s love for her home is the driving force behind her constant search for ways to deepen and strengthen her community. For example, when she noticed that there were many elementary and middle school kids hoping to participate in Community Theater but who didn’t have the necessary means to prepare themselves, Taylor started Kids on Stage, a successful program which she ran for eight years without having had any previous theater experience. But she didn’t stop there. Using the profits made from Kids on Stage performances, Taylor distributed grants to other projects for children in Middlebury, including programs for kids at the Middlebury Public Library.
“I just knew there was this huge void,” she said. “I just jump into stuff. I’ll try anything.”
Taylor’s ability to work with people, along with her background in teaching, guided her through “thousands of hours” of work for Kids on Stage, as she organized the children’s parents as volunteers. These skills have been crucial in the success of the farmer’s market. Since taking the job as coordinator three years ago, she has had to “juggle all those personalities,” of over 50 vendors that come each week. Although friendliness pervades the atmosphere, Taylor knows that a farmer’s market is still a market.
“Every vendor is their own industry,” said Taylor. “Nobody is looking out for anybody else. They’ve got three and a half hours to make their money.”
With the total income of the market increasing every year (last year vendors made $350,000 in sales, this year they are expected to bring in $400,000), Taylor has turned her attention towards making local produce accessible to low-income families. She is planning to write for a grant of $1,000 worth of coupons that would be distributed to those on government aid, matching what they spend at the market. By giving cooking demos that will show them how to cook meals from scratch with only four or five ingredients, she is hopeful that families will find fresh local food affordable.
Though almost every Saturday morning someone reminds Taylor of the good she’s doing for the community, she never ceases to dig deeper and find ways that the community could be brought closer and encompass more people. At the same time, she draws her inspiration from the strong sense of community that already exists.
“I feel like we’re all on the same page,” she said. “We all have the same mission to take care of the land.”
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