Starting in April, the Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee has hosted a farmers market for patients and the community. The market is so popular that instead of closing for the season, it is now in the main atrium year round.
Every Thursday at 1 p.m., the smell of roasted nuts, banana bread, and popcorn fills the hospital’s main entrance. The growing market is also very popular with VA employees, who are eager to support local and Veteran businesses.
Veteran vendor
Donald Schaffer, a U.S. Army Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran, started as one of the first market vendors.
U.S. Army Veteran Donald Schaffer of Riverview Farmer and Gardens is a Veteran vendor at Mountain Home VA’s Farmers Market.
“As soon as we heard about it, we were the first applicants,” Schaffer said. “We wanted to give back to Veterans.”
Schaffer and his girlfriend operate Riverview Farm and Gardens, and is a member of Homegrown by Heroes, a program maintained by the Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Since joining Mountain Home’s farmers market, Schaffer has enrolled into VA health care and recommends farming to other Veterans.
“Planting, growing, taking care of your crops keeps you busy,” Schaffer added. “It keeps your mind and body active and healthy.”
The farmers market provides an easy to access place to buy local foods. It also is a place to educate Veterans on VA services.
“Most people go to hospitals because they have to, but we wanted to give Veterans something to look forward to when visiting,” said Bob Collett, Mountain Home’s Veterans Experience Officer. “Farmers Markets, Red Coat Ambassadors at the front door, valet parking, rock gardens, parking shuttles – these are all programs to provide a world class Veterans Experience at Mountain Home.”
During the market, VA provides cooking demonstrations, healthy eating habits, nutritional advice, and other services. Each week, more and more Veterans, their families, caregivers, and community members attend the market to support their local and Veteran farmers.
To find a farmers market close to you, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Directories: National Farmers Market Directory
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There is an extensive and historic Farmers’ Market on the West side of Cleveland…called “West Side Market”.
Denver could use one, Farmers Market
Frank
Johnson City,Tn.
Please provide useable links or edit your article to remove how to fond local farmer markets. The links are like a dog chasing its tail. I was wanting to share this article, but I’m not due to the bad links. Thank you.
Need a farmer market in the Leesburg/Wildwood area.
also a mountain home in south idaho.
Where are they?
STILL CANNOT FIND A DIRECTORY THAT I CAN SUBMIT MY INFO AND GET A LISTING OF FARMERS MARKETS IN OR CLOSE TO ME ALL I FIND IS A BUNCH OF BRAGGING AND PATTIMG YOUR SELF ON YOUR BACKSIDE
When giving the money to the programs and not the Veteran that money is eat up paying their employees and classes which doesn’t help! A Veteran farmer sets in class,goes home with papers and numbers now was that worth 1.3 million? No! Classes dont help jack!
where is mountain home located?
thanks , carl
in north central Arkansas. i nice town.
Johnson City,Tn.