A Communal Farm Stand in the Heart of the Village

Help lay the groundwork for a communal farm stand that builds the market for locally produced, healthy food while supporting Lopez farmers and food producers.

Imagine walking into the new Lopez Food Center in the Village, planned to open in Lopez Village in 2026. Right inside, a beautiful display of fresh vegetables, local cheeses, island-made jams, and other goods from Lopez farms and food producers is waiting.

This is the vision for a communal farm stand: a space where buying local is easy, island-grown food is celebrated, and our local food producers are supported.

What is the concept?

With input from many farmers and food producers throughout Lopez, we have developed the concept to open a communal farm stand beginning in the summer months and possibly expanding to the shoulder seasons.   The goal is to encourage people to buy local first.  A farm stand located in the village near other food stores would make this easy and attractive.  And it will support our local food producers, increasing the market for their goods.

But the idea gets better…

Local farmers and food producers don’t have time to run and manage yet another farm stand – they’re more than busy running their farms and businesses.  The concept is to coordinate with the Lopez School’s L.I.F.E. “farm to school” program.   Students would operate and manage the food stand and earn school credit for learning to manage a business.  The Lopez Food Center would obtain grant funding to pay the students a stipend for their work.   It’s a winning combination

A vision like this doesn’t organize itself. 

Behind the shelves, we need a steady hand to coordinate what will be offered, how often, by whom.  It will take time and effort to communicate with the various stakeholders.

This year through Give Lopez, we’re raising funds to hire  a part-time coordinator to meet and work with farmers and other food producers to determine how they want the farm stand to be structured and to help develop a business plan for the project.

Your donation will help us:

• Fund a coordinator to plan and launch the stand

• Connect with Lopez farmers and food producers to shape a system that meets their needs

• Partner with the school to offer students hands-on experience running a real business

We have the vision. Lopez certainly has the producers. And soon, we will have the space. Now, we need to hire someone to help plan and to bring it all together.

Help us grow something lasting. Your support powers the people who make it all possible. This Give Lopez, give to The Lopez Food Share to bring this concept to reality.