The Local hosts first Holiday Market in support of Giving Tuesday

The Local Community Food Centre will host its first Holiday Market on Nov. 28, featuring local vendors, volunteer-made products, baked goods and more, with proceeds supporting the organization.

By: Amanda Nelson

The Local Community Food Centre is inviting the community to its first Holiday Market on Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving visitors an opportunity to get a head start on their holiday shopping while supporting a local organization. Entry to the market is by donation.

The market will feature a variety of local vendors, including Shop Lot 8, Reflexology by Ruth, Kuddly Kreaturz, All Typed Up fleece blankets and NuNu2u, an upcycled clothing brand.

“We have such amazing volunteers at the Local and they’re all so talented, and we’ve always wanted to showcase that,” said Julie Docker Johnson, community connections manager. “We started thinking of ways to be able to do something for our volunteers, and then also showcase our renovated Your Market and also incorporate Giving Tuesday, we thought this was the perfect time to make a Holiday Market.”

The Local’s Green Team will also offer a selection of products, including herbs, oils, soup mixes and decorative door swags. Volunteer bakers from Ready To Bake will be selling frozen Christmas cookie logs.

“Our volunteer baking team is making Christmas cookie logs and those are sold frozen, so you just cut off what you want throughout the season and you have freshly baked cookies whenever you want them,” said Docker Johnson.

Special guest author Barb Howard will also be attending with her collection of children’s books. Howard has designed a new holiday book, Emma’s Christmas Adventure: A Colouring Book Fairytale, with proceeds from the special edition colouring book being donated to the Local.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to shop at Your Market, the newly expanded grocery market located inside the Local.

Although Giving Tuesday typically takes place over one day, an anonymous local donor is offering to match proceeds raised during the week of Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, up to $10,000. This includes proceeds from the Holiday Market, meaning donations and funds raised during the week could have double the impact.

“People may think Giving Tuesday is about money, but that’s not all it’s about,” said Docker Johnson. “It’s about showing up and being there for your community; it’s about being part of something bigger. The more people who walk through our door, the better. We want to show everyone what the Local is all about.”

The event aims to welcome the wider community, showcase the talents of the Local’s volunteers and introduce visitors to the organization, Your Market and the services they offer.

Several other holiday markets will also be taking place throughout Stratford and Perth County that same weekend. The Local has put together a list of markets happening that day, giving shoppers an opportunity to get their holiday shopping started, or even completed, in one weekend.

For more information about the Holiday Market or ways to support the Local, visit www.thelocalcfc.org.