Farmer’s Market and Vendor Fair brings produce and clubs together

Students enjoy fresh produce from Hofstra’s Farmer’s Market and Vendor Fair. // Madeline Sisk / The Hofstra Chronicle

On Tuesday, April 16, Campus Dining Services and the University Senate held Hofstra’s Farmer’s Market and Vendor Fair outside the student center.

Lexis Meehan, the marketing manager for Campus Dining, said the purpose of the event was to allow clubs to raise money and for students to purchase fresh groceries.

“With the arrival of the nice weather, we aimed to host an outdoor Farmer’s Market and Vendor Fair for our students, offering them the chance to purchase locally grown produce and homemade bakery items using their Dining Dollars,” Meehan said.

Senior psychology major and Student Affairs Committee chair Lila Campbell said the idea for a farmer’s market came after the University Senate determined that Hofstra needed more community-based events.

“I really like to go to farmer’s markets,” Campbell said. “That’s just kind of my thing, so I always grew up going to farmer’s markets, and I thought it was a really cool idea. So I emailed [Meehan], and she was like, ‘Yeah, we can do that.’”

While Campus Dining primarily planned the farmer’s market side of the event, the University Senate planned the club side. While preparing for the event, Campbell saw an opportunity to include Hofstra’s clubs.

According to Campbell, her big dream was to have “fruit and desserts and honey and flowers and all that stuff. But farmer’s markets also have artisanal things. People make candles and people make lotions. I was like, maybe we should do something like that for our clubs.”

The Clay Club, which is new to campus as of this semester, was one of six clubs to attend the event. Sophie Weisman, a freshman pre-medical studies major, said the club’s goal was to attract more students and encourage them to relax and have fun being creative with clay.

“This type of exposure and ability to fundraise is something that we’re really grateful for,” Weisman said. “Being able to offer clay to the student body is really incredible because everyone needs creativity in their lives. And the goal of our club is really to improve access to creative outlets for people.”

The highlight of the event was the farmer’s market, where students could shop for an assortment of fruits, vegetables and baked goods.

Campbell hoped that the event would give students more opportunities to use their meal points by allowing those who like to cook to be able to make food without having to find their way to a grocery store.

“[The] farmer’s market uses Dining Dollars, which [Campus Dining hasn’t] done that much,” Campbell said. “I really, really enjoy the idea of students being able to get fresh produce because I know there are some students that do have dietary restrictions or allergies, or maybe you just want a fresh banana in the morning.”

For many students, including Weisman, the farmer’s market was a hit.

“This is really incredible because I hear people talking all the time on campus about how they wish there were more fresh foods,” Weisman said. “I have so many extra Dining Dollars. I got a baguette, I got the focaccia and I got three potatoes because I make mashed potatoes in the microwave.”

Due to permit issues, student-owned businesses could not sell their goods. Instead, students were encouraged to promote their businesses while supporting their clubs’ fundraising efforts.

The event is set to reoccur in the fall, giving clubs another opportunity to promote and fundraise. Additionally, the produce and products available will increase.

“Since we’d have so much time to plan it, we could get Red Bull to come, and Poppi, and like all of our collaborative organizations – they could do raffles,” Campbell said. “And we could do it at Pride Park, so then we can have more room for clubs.”