You can find SEEDS EcoCorps members managing two farmers markets this summer. In addition to our longstanding partnership with the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market, we are also thrilled to now be managing the East Bay Corners Farmers Market!
SEEDS EcoCorps hires and trains individuals as young as 16 in green collar career skills, of which agriculture is a key sector. Under the mentorship of Farmers Market Manager, Kyle Warner, EcoCorps members gain hands-on experience with the economic flow of produce and other goods from farm, to farmers market, to table.
SEEDS Farmers Market Food Navigator, Theresa Corcoran, will also be at both markets on occasion. Food Navigators work at farmers markets that offer SNAP/EBT food assistance programs to help shoppers with limited food budgets to more easily navigate the market space and maximize their food dollars while purchasing fresh, local, healthy food. Theresa also offers culinary resources at markets, sometimes including tastings, recipes, and food demonstrations in addition to offering guidance on produce storage to extend the life of market purchases.
In addition to a farmers market Food Navigator, other SNAP/EBT food assistance programs that are available at the farmers markets include:
- The 2025 Power of Produce program – made possible by the Building Resilient Communities Grant Program through Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities
- EBT/SNAP/Bridge Card
- Double Up Food Bucks – offered at Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market
- Produce Connect (Formerly Project Fresh) – offered at Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market
The 2025 Power of Produce (PoP) program is a new edition to the East Bay Corners Farmers Market and is designed to engage and inspire the youngest farmers market shoppers, aged 5-13. For 13 weeks, PoP programming is structured to educate children in healthy eating habits, physical activity, and the importance of fresh produce.
Kicking off in mid-July, some of the PoP ‘homework’ activities each week will include scavenger hunts across East Bay Township, “tasting the rainbow” of different colored produce, planting for pollinators and observing bees, making fruit or vegetable smoothies, and learning about compost. Interested to find out more about programs at East Bay Corners Farmers Market? Contact: foodsecurity@eastbaytwp.org or visit eastbaytwp.org/residents/food_security.php.
East Bay Corners Farmers Market opened June 5, 2025 and runs through October 2, 2025. The market exclusively operates on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 6:00pm at the East Bay Township Hall, across from East Bay Branch Library. Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market operates on Wednesdays from 8:00am to 12:00pm and on Saturdays from 7:30am to 12:00pm at Parking Lot B on Cass Street and East Grandview Parkway.
Since 2011, SEEDS has been partnering with the DDA in Traverse City to manage the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market. We are now partnered with East Bay Township to manage East Bay Corners Market. We love supporting the sharing of good food!
Get involved with the farmers markets from Grand Traverse Bay to East Bay this summer by:
- Supporting farmers by shopping
- Spending food assistance dollars
- Learn more about SEEDS EcoCorps and Food Navigator programming
