Every Thursday evening in the summer and early fall, the front steps of the Lakewood Public Library transform into a hub of community, connection and fresh produce. The LEAF Community Farmers Market isn’t just a place to buy vegetables; it’s where neighbors gather, local farmers share their harvests and Lakewood residents come together to support local vendors.
“I love going to them on Thursday night and seeing what’s in the shares. It’s almost like Christmas every week,” said Amanda Fisher, Lakewood Public Library Design Chair. Fisher isn’t the only one with these thoughts. Many Lakewood residents also look forward to the weekly market as a chance to connect with the community.
At the heart of the market is LEAF (Lakewood Earth and Food). It’s a volunteer-based organization dedicated to promoting local food and community involvement. Even after the challenges of the pandemic, the market continues to play a key role in helping residents access healthy, locally grown produce.
“The pandemic made things a lot more difficult, and then we lost a lot of volunteers. It hasn’t quite rebounded from [that time],” said Sharon Hogan, a LEAF volunteer. Even though the market has faced some hardships, it still remains an important part of the Lakewood community. “It’s not just a place to pick up vegetables. You can see there’s a lot of socializing going on and a lot of interaction,” Hogan said.
One of the unique vendors featured at the market is City Fresh, which helps make local food more accessible to everyone. “City Fresh is a nonprofit CSA program, and CSA stands for community-supported agriculture. So basically, what we do is every week from mid-June to the end of October, we offer shares every week of vegetables,” said Sam Paskert, City Fresh’s Farmer Liaison.
All of the food City Fresh provides comes straight from nearby farms. This helps support local farms and provides the community with fresh produce. “So all of our produce is local from Northeast Ohio,” Paskert said. By sourcing the produce locally, the program helps reduce the distance between where the food is grown and where it’s sold. It also gives buyers access to locally harvested produce.
What makes City Fresh stand out is its commitment to affordability and accessibility. “But a different thing that makes City Fresh really cool is that we accept SNAP and EBT,” Paskert said. “So … we have a market price, and then we have a reduced rate that is just available to anybody who feels like they need that.” This approach helps make fresh, healthy food accessible to everyone, regardless of income. It ensures that everyone in the community can have fresh produce to enjoy.
LEAF also makes sure to provide a way to make the entire market accessible to everyone. They offer a service where citizens can bring their EBT cards and trade them for tokens. This helps them shop the whole market. “People who are on food stamps, they can bring their EBT, and they can get double their money in tokens, which they can spend,” Hogan said.
The market goes beyond food, too. It’s a place where small businesses have the opportunity to grow. “Like vegan donuts. They started here and … they do so well, they got their own shop,” Hogan said. This is an amazing opportunity for people who are trying to start a business. The market can help give business owners a sense of how people will react to their products and see if they can effectively grow into a strong business that people will want to come and support.
Many of the visitors and volunteers share gardening tips and recipes for the fresh produce they buy. These conversations turn a simple shopping trip into a chance to learn something new and connect with others who also care about the local food and gardening. “But no, it’s just really nice seeing everybody … come together, and we all share a lot of recipes. A lot of people come up and they’re like, How do you cook this? And … then we suggest ways to cook it,” Pakert said.
Even after a few challenging years, the LEAF Community Farmers Market continues to embody what Lakewood is all about: helping each other, providing fresh local food for all, and fostering a sense of belonging that grows stronger each season.
