We are a not-for-profit food-buying club for buying organic and natural foods. The Market is run entirely by volunteers with a consensus-based democratic process. Our purposes are to provide quality food at exellent price, support sustainable agriculture, and promote social change within our community and beyond. The top floor of our building is made up of offices rented to non-profit social change groups. The Board of Directors of the Growers Market (which includes representatives of both the food buying club and the upstairs tenants) meets once a month, and these meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend.

We require no membership fee. Members are asked to work one half hour for each week's shopping. You will have a card to keep track of the half hours of work credit. For each half hour you will recieve one pumpkin stamped on your card. You can work a few hours at once and gather pumpkins to use at your leisure, or simply do one half hour each week. When you use a pumpkin for your shopping, 15% of the Market's markup will be deducted from your bill at check-out.

As you can imagine, there are many types of work necessary to make Growers run. We tally orders from members, recieve food from both local and out-of-town distributors, price and stock all the food, staff the market, maintain records, produce a weekly newsletter (the Garbanzo Gazette), upgrade our space and structures, clean, and organize. Tasks are oriented towards preparing the market for opening, staffing during shopping hours, and closing up. If you are looking for a job to earn a pumpkin or two, please be aware that since Growers is run entirely by volunteers, there is no "boss" dictating what needs to be done and when. What this means in terms of work credit is this: if you see something that needs to be done...DO IT!!

For example, building a shelf, upgrading an order form, reorganizing a messy shelf, or devising a new accounting system are all projects that Market members have initiated (many during non-Market hours). You are warmly and enthusiastically encouraged to use your skills and take initiative.

There are a small handful of members who oversee the regular operations of the Market on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The coordinator on duty can assign you work and answer any questions that you can't figure out for yourself.

What does this word mean in Growers? It refers to a member who has committed to a particular job each week, usually requiring more that half an hour and/or specific training. Some examples of strawboss jobs include cashier, new member orientation, cheese cutting crew ;), rag washer, bulk goods stoking, and Garbonzo Gazette Staff. Strawbosses recieve $2.50 per hour in food credit for their dedication. Ask a coordinator or keep your eye on the Garbonzo Gazette if you are interested in a strawboss position.

We offer most products you would find at any health food store at much better prices. Food at the Market is designated as either extra or preorder. Preordered food is available only to those who ordered it, whereas extra food is available to everyone on a first-come-first-served basis. You may preorder produce and cheese each week to ensure that you get what you want. See the online order form or paper order form for pre-order options. We do our best at keeping an ample stock of all foods, but popular items can go quickly – so order ahead if you are worried about getting what you want.

When you come into shop, retrieve your form from the folder and take only what you ordered from the preorder section. Take from the extra selections if you want something you did not order. If you find yourself with the same preorder each week, you can turn it into a standing order. Be aware that we strive to provide produce in keeping with the seasons, thus, if you order peaches in January and acorn squash in June, you are likely to get neither.

Orders of bulk quantity items carried by our suppliers can be made through the Market. If you're looking for a large quantity (such as a case of oranges or 50 pounds of flour) of something we do or don't regularly stock, this is the route for you. Talk to a coordinator or see the order board at the rear of the Market for instructions

The 'Banzo is the weekly newsletter of the food buying club as well as the upstairs tenants. Look in the 'Banzo for Market Bussiness, announcements, garage sales, places to live, current political actions, and more! Board meetings, coordinator meetings, and available strawboss positions are advertised here. To submit an item drop it off in the marked locations or email to garbanzo@lists.efn.org by 5pm on Wednesdays.

for website related correspondence, please contact kevin at web@growersmarket.net.