This weekend is 'Community clean up day.'  The Friends haven't organized our usual clean up of the park this year.  BUT, fair partk patrons, this does not prevent you from going out there and doing some trash pick up all on your own.  Why do we need anyone to tell us when to clean up the park?  Exactly. This shoud be an ongoing effort by the community. It's a way to take ownership and be responsible citizens. Set an example for your kids and friends - they will be so impressed.  Highschool students, if you want some volunteer hours, let us know, we will be happy to coordinate. If you can't do it this weekend, do it any old time you like.  Because we want to keep the park consistently clean of garbage, food waste and pet waste so that we can lounge and frolick on the green space uninhibited.  Welcome summer!

How did the market come about?  It's a question that many ask.  Here's the basic story.....In 2005 Community members were expressing their desire to have a farmers' market in our park.  I brought the idea to a Friends of Trinity Bellwoods Park meeting, subsequently we had a call out for people to join a committee to get it off the ground.  No one stepped up at that time so it went on the back burner.  Then in 2006, I met Scott Cinello, who was totally into it.  Yay.  From there we started work on it - a year before the market started.  We put together a proposal, got the Councillor on board who arranged a meeting with city departments.  We also got over 600 support signatures!  That was important as it showed the city that the community would come out to support it.  

2007 was the inaugural year.  Each year since it becomes more solidified in the community and into their shopping routine.  We have supported our farmers/vendors and watched them flourish with the success of the market.  And educated the community about local farm practices and when our local growing season is.  It is important to understand that the market is operated on large by community volunteers - the market depends on these dedicated people to maintain operations.  TBFM is one of the remaining truly independent, community based/operated farmers' market in the GTA.  No organization behind it, other than the Friends of Trinity Bellwoods Park, which is a volunteer community group i.e. see this site for more ;-).  The market sustains itself and when possible, gives back to the Friends and/or the green house at year end. 

TBFM is a food focused farmers' market.  We do not consider non-food vendors.  Participation is by invitation season to season.  Prior to each season management extends invitations to renewing Vendors and potential new Vendors - if space availability permits.  There is scant turnover.  TBFM is a modest sized market and it is thoughtfully curated to keep it viable for participating farmers/vendors.  All farmers markets must adhere to 50%+1 farmer to non-farmer ratio as per Board of Health rules. So, it is a balancing act when it comes maintaining this ratio.  

Thank you to the all the patrons for their continual support of our neighbourhood market.  

Visit our dedicated site; www.tbfm.ca. Follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/TBFarmersMarket for on the day produce news and specials.  And of course facebook/TrinityBellwoodsFarmersMarket.  

Park People have issued some excellent tool kits that explains the how-to put on events in your park and/or how to initiate community building fun! They are excellent resources.  The link to their website is below failing that, pdf's of handbooks below.

www.parkpeople.ca/parktoolkit

ParkPeople_ParkToolkit_Guidebook_2014.pdf

ParkPeople_ParkToolkit_Firepit_2014.pdf

ParkPeople_ParkToolkit_Movie_2014.pdf

ParkPeople_ParkToolkit_Nature_2014.pdf

 Visit our dedicated website for more information.

'The Trinity Bellwoods Farmers' Market mandate is to support and increase access to fresh, local, sustainable and organic agriculture.  To educate the community in the food they eat, the source from which it comes and how it is grown and/or prepared.  We like slow food, not fast food and eating at hearth and home with your loved ones'.

TIME: Tuesdays 3pm to 7pm - Rain or Shine

LOCATION: Dundas W. & Shaw/Crawford. Search address 1053 Dundas W

ACCESS: foot, bike, wheelchair, TTC.

IMPORTANT: If you are coming by vehicle, do not park where the pylons are - east curb of Shaw from Church to Dundas St. & south curb of Dundas from Shaw to beyond east of Crawford - this area is critically required for participating vendor vehicles and we have a city permit.  Thank you for your cooperation!   

• Please bring your reusable shopping bags.
• Please make efforts to arrive by foot, bike or TTC.
• No smoking/vaping in designated market area.
• Pets must be on leash.
• Cyclists, please walk your bike in market area. 

To futher our commitment to the environment we have a 'leave a bag/take a bag' program.  Bring in your clean (no food/pet residue for allegen friends) re-useable shopping bags for others to use, take a bag if you forget yours - you can boomerang it the next week. We encourage our vendors to not use plastic whenever possible. 

Alternatively, you may purchase a reuseable cloth bag (only $4) that comes with a cute tbfm button. This is an ongoing fundraising campaign for market operations to help off-set regular expenses i.e. parking pylons that get dragged off to parts unknown, regular wheel changes on our dollys and wagons that we use to load in/out vendors' product. Your contribution helps very much towards supporting the market and reusing!

Who are we?
Friends of Trinity Bellwoods Park is a volunteer group that works together to improve the green space, cultural and recreational activities of Trinity Bellwoods Park.   Its volunteer members have founded and operate a weekly summer farmers market, coordinate an Adopt-A-Tree program to water and nurture the new planted saplings in the park, created and operate a greenhouse as an educational and community resource, present bulb and shrub planting events in collaboration with Parks & Recreation and respond to community issues that affect the park.  Since 2001, Friends of Trinity Bellwoods has been recognized by Parks & Rec and by our Councillor as the vehicle of community consultation for the park.  We are a diverse group who are willing to share new ideas, respect other points of view, and participate in a collaborative process to create a vibrant community park. 

Friends of Trinity Bellwoods Park have no financial backing from outside sources. We have been able to realize our initiatives (i.e. costs associated with the Adopt-a-Tree initiative, green house, Park Days, Clean up Days and the commissioning of the 2009 Tree Inventory) by soliciting donations from film shoots and Special Events that occur in the park – which is truly hit & miss – and the occasional private citizen.  Our Farmers Market, so far, has been able to contribute the past several years and plan to on an annual basis.  We are not flush, so if you would like to make a donation to the Friends, we will gladly accept.  Just drop us an email for more info. 

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