Pamplin Community Market's commercial kitchen fund

Do you ever wonder what happened to those small towns depicted in films such as Andy Griffith's Mayberry, Fried Green Tomatoes' Whistle Stop, and Wasahatchie in Tender Mercies? Many small towns still exist throughout rural America, hanging on by a thread. Pamplin City is one such town aiming for a comeback. We have gone from being featured as a ghost town on Youtube, to reviving our main street with a refurbished depot, an ice-cream shop, and a full service restaurant. Last year we added Pamplin Community Market, where you can buy fresh local produce, baked goods, pastured chicken, and stop by to say hello to Minerva, town ambassador of goodwill and good wit.

What makes Pamplin Community Market unique?

Pamplin Community Market is a not for profit local produce outlet, staffed by volunteers, whose mission is to support the physical and social health of our rural area. According to USDA and Census data, we are in a low-income, low-access area populated by a majority of older-aged citizens. Food insecure adults and children are at a significantly higher risk for chronic diseases and other negative health outcomes such as obesity. The need was there and we answered the calling. We have been able to work with local farmers, paying a fair market price, and connecting them with the consumers. Farmers are able to drop their produce on a consignment basis, increasing efficiency by not losing valuable time on the farm.

We participate in many food access programs

The market accepts programs such as SNAP/EBT, Market Fresh Senior program, and Virginia Fresh Match. A new program, Food as Medicine, is on the horizon and will offer cooked vegetables. The odd economics of healthy local food's worth verses what people can afford allows the market to just cover operating costs, relying on volunteers to staff the store.

Why a kitchen in a farmer's market?

We came to realize that accessibility is not only having seasonal produce available at an affordable price, but also easing the burden of processing and cooking for our older population. Ahaaa! A small 150sqft commercial kitchen inside the 450 sq ft market would be the next step in increasing consumption of healthy foods. This basic kitchen will enable us to have seasonal cooking demonstrations and classes (garden cooking seems be a lost art!) and offer, pre-cut and prepared vegetables, not only for our population that might have limited physical capabilities in preparing meals, but also for young families with a time crunch. The other missing piece of the puzzle is how to stretch the veggie supply throughout the year. A kitchen would enable us to freeze some items during the bountiful summer months to offer in the winter months. Since this would be a licensed, commercial kitchen, we could also open the space for use to entrepreneurs who want to create value added products, increasing availability in the winter months and offering an opportunity for Pamplin citizens to increase their farm income.

Your donation is valued

The market building is owned by the non-profit and will be used to benefit the community as long as the building stands. When you donate, you can be assured that all of these funds are reinvested in our community. We have 2 matching donors lined up and your contribution will be tripled! We operate with an all volunteer board that is not compensated in anyway and whose goal is to build stronger sense of community in our town through affordable, accessible, nutritious local food. We hope you will want to be a part of this renaissance.