Wildcraft Farmers Market opens community fund for support

FORT COLLINS — Wildcraft Farmers Market, which operates inside Foothills Mall and is marking its 20th anniversary, has opened its nonprofit Community Fund for contributions.

Wildcraft Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in August, exists to expand access to fresh, local food and community programming for everyone regardless of budget or circumstance, according to the organization.

The farmers market, formerly known as the Fort Collins Winter Market, will begin year-round operations inside the mall beginning next week.

The fund operates three programs:

• SNAP/EBT matching, doubling the buying power of SNAP and EBT dollars spent at the market, up to $20 per market.
• Senior Bucks and senior shopping hours, including dedicated funding and market time to support senior access to fresh, local food.
• A program sponsoring live music at the market each Saturday.

In its most recent full season, SNAP spending at the market grew 16% year over year — even across a shortened season because of the government shutdown last November.

The fund is now welcoming tax-deductible contributions to help power these programs. Individuals can give directly to the fund and designate the program that resonates with them most at wildcraftmarkets.com/communityfund. Local businesses interested in sponsoring a program can learn more at wildcraftmarkets.com/sponsor.

Opening day of the year-round market on Nov. 7 will bring together city officials and founding community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the premiere of a short film chronicling the market’s 20-year history.

What began in 2006 in downtown Fort Collins’ Opera Galleria as a 13-week winter market has grown to feature more than 250 local growers, ranchers, artisans and makers from across Colorado and Wyoming, with 90 to 130 vendors participating each market day. The market moved to Foothills in 2020.

“For 19 years, we were the Winter Farmers Market, but with the extension of the season to going year-round, it was time to reimagine the market to be around for another 20 years,” Sari Kimbell, the market’s owner and operator, said in a prepared statement. “Now that we’re open almost every Saturday, all year long, opening day of our 20th season felt like the right moment to celebrate where we came from and formally launch what comes next.

“A market like ours isn’t a ‘nice to have,’ it’s a cornerstone,” Kimbell said. “It’s part of how Northern Colorado stays fed, connected and resilient, no matter what’s happening in the wider world. Wildcraft Community Fund is how we make sure that access to good, local food reaches everyone, not just the people who can already afford it.”

The season-opening market on Nov. 7 will include the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:15 with the Wildcraft team and Fort Collins Mayor Emily Francis outside Foothills’ south entrance.

The official start of the Wildcraft Community Fund’s programs will begin at 11 a.m. with Mayor Pro Tem Julie Pignataro at the market’s information booth. A ribbon-cutting for Startup Alley, the market’s dedicated space for new local businesses, will follow at 11:15 a.m. with the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce.

The short film produced by Platinum X Studios that traces the market’s journey from a 13-market winter experiment to Colorado’s first year-round indoor farmers market will be screened from noon to 2 p.m. near the market’s fireplace area.

Besides offerings from more than 120 farmers, ranchers and makers, the festivities will include live music from indie folk singer-songwriter Luke Eddington, a new Kids Activity Zone presented by Natural Discovery Kids, 20th-anniversary vendor specials and giveaways including two prize packs worth $200 in Market Bucks plus a merch swag bag.

Starting Nov. 7, the market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday.

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