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HomeMy WebLinkAbout25A - Farmers Market - Public Comments1 Gloria Sanchez From:Calvin Byer <calvin@therealitaliandeli.com> Sent:Tuesday, August 24, 2021 4:34 PM To:CouncilMeeting Comments Subject:Palm Springs Cultural Center Farmer’s Market As the General Manager of The Real Italian Deli & Bakery located at 44795 San Pablo Ave I support the farmer’s  market  wholeheartedly and I feel moving the location of the market closer to Hwy 111 on San Pablo would free up the new  centralized parking and create more traffic to this revitalized area.        Calvin Byer   General Manager   The Real Italian Deli & Bakery   Palm Desert & Palm Springs   760‐844‐2439      Sent from my iPhone    1 Gloria Sanchez From:Mark Hames <hames.mark@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, August 25, 2021 3:54 PM To:CouncilMeeting Comments Subject:Support for moving the Palm Desert certified farmers’ market location   Dear Palm Desert City Council Members,  First of all, thank you so much for your constant support throughout the years for the certified farmers’ market every  Wednesday in your wonderful city.   As a vendor selling cheese at the CFM for over 9 years, I truly appreciate the opportunity to conduct business in your city  and provide a healthy product to your constituents.   When the move to the newly improved San Pablo Street business square was announced i was thrilled as i assumed the  location would provide a much better visibility as opposed to where we were.   Sadly, this past season at the new location proved to be not as fruitful as we had hoped. As a vendor i heard a good  amount of feedback from my customers about what they thought of the new location. The overwhelming majority of  feedback regarding the San Pablo location was negative. I was actually quite shocked at first as i loved the location. The  reality was, for many customers the lack of parking and access proved to be just too much for them and eventually  resulted in their opting to shop at other venues.   Not only was this detrimental as a business owner, but for the community of Palm Desert residents feeling as if they had  lost their access to wonderful, healthy, local produce and artisans.   Because of this I very much support the market’s efforts to relocate to the Westfield Shopping Center’s parking lot off  the HWY 111 as it will make for a very visible location and tons of parking for so many residents to participate in  obtaining healthy, local food from locally operated businesses. I hope you’re all willing to give us a chance to make the  move and show the true potential of the Palm Desert CFM!  Thanks for hearing my concern and sharing the opinions of my Palm Desert customers, Mark Hames  818‐613‐6544  Spring Hill Cheese     "I am SO impressed with the content of your CNEP presentation. We're excited to have you return to educate our 3rd graders!" - Barbara Cruz, 3rd Grade Lead Teacher - Katherine Finchy Elementary School Palm Desert Certified Farmers' Market 2021-2022 Sponsorship Request Since 2009, the Certified Farmers' Market in Palm Desert has embraced the tenets of “Envision Palm Desert.” We increase business opportunities for small farms and culinary entrepreneurs while also employing live musicians, serving as a weekly event that grows the economy and enhances the quality of life. In the new location at Westfield, the Market will move indoors during the summer, ensuring a year-round sales platform. (Economic Development) We encourage and promote healthy community principles by offering the freshest Southern California small farm produce, while directly supporting the farmers who grew it. Our proposed location on the Westfield Mall property provides ample room for expansion and is easy accessed by car and public transit, enhancing the desirability of Palm Desert’s culinary and cultural tourism. (Tourism and Marketing) We are a real-world education destination, offering Nutrition Education programs independently supported through the Anderson Children’s Foundation, providing solid baseline learning opportunities and creating engaged and informed local youth at our Wednesday Palm Desert Market. Between farmers, teachers, students, and parents we’re creating and supporting a community-based education coalition. New partnerships with the Joslyn Senior Center will expand the programming to life-long learners. (Education) Regulated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Certified Farmers’ Markets provide a platform for small scale family farmers to sell directly to consumers, without a middleman or broker. County agricultural inspectors visit Certified farm properties and the Markets - checking, in person, the list of produce provided by the farmer and collecting fees. The CFMCV’s are a program of the Palm Springs Cultural Center, a non- profit supported by federal, state and local grants. We are driven by a desire to meet the nutritional needs of everyone in Palm Desert, regardless of their economic status. We are the only Farmers’ Market organization in the Coachella Valley that accepts all forms of government nutrition currency (EBT, WIC, SSDI, EDD). Through a myriad of funding pathways we match these customers $15/$15 every week! We continually seek additional grants that align with the values of our programming. CFM shoppers support small growers and their families, allowing them to work in a traditional format endangered by the large-scale mechanization of corporate growing. "The relief match has been a total life-saver during this whole period, and it's helped me continue to support all of my favorite farmers at the farmers market." - Sarah Brooke Hodges, customer The CFMPD has developed strong ties with Palm Desert over the past 12 years - in terms of economics, culture and wellness. With sponsorship support, that will continue!