Peaches so fresh you need an army of napkins to keep the pinkish-white pulp and juice from streaming down your chin. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and white vinegar on the kitchen table as an after-school snack. Fresh corn on the cob at supper so sweet you don’t want dessert.
Can it be summer without fresh fruit and vegetables? Most of us in the United Methodist Church live with access to good food. But, there are places in America, right now, where people have an easier time getting a pack of twinkies than they do an apple.
The farmer’s market ministry at Community United Methodist Church in Morgantown, WV has become a community gathering place where people can purchase produce from local farmers/producers at a reasonable cost. “We wanted to get to know our neighbors,” said Rev. Meredith Gudger-Raines, who pastors the church. “We think of it as a front porch in the neighborhood.”
A ‘Food Desert’
Two miles down the road from the church is a large trailer park whose only close access to food is a convenience store. Many do not have cars of their own, relying instead on friends and family for rides to work and occasional trips to town. For Gudger-Raines, the farmer’s market is a chance to bring fresh, wholesome, and affordable food closer to them.
Beets and Squash - part of the fresh food offered at Community UMC's Farmer's Market, open each Thursday from 4-7pm at the Church. Photo: Laura Allen
“You hear researchers talk about ‘food deserts’, places where there is limited or no fresh food available to people,” she said. “This is one way of addressing that issue right here in WV.” Future plans for the ministry include transportation for folks to get to and from the market as needed.
Shoppers and local food producers enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of summer. Photo: Laura Allen
Look for more in the fall edition of the West Virginia United Methodist on this topic. In the meantime, this story segues nicely into the Food and Faith track at the United Methodist Women’s School of Christian Mission, which begins this week at West Virginia Wesleyan College. The registration form is online, and you can also e-mail Diane Braun with any questions.
The Fall Edition of the WV United Methodist will be in mailboxes this week, but you can read it online now! Highlights from this month’s issue include the cover story about Community UMC’s (Morgantown) Farmer’s Market, information on ordering CDs of the Africa University Choir performance at the Clay Center in June, and a Fall Calendar back page that you may tear/cut out and hang up at home or around your church.
The first half of the Africa University Choir Tour of West Virginia has been a huge success! 
