ABILENE, TX – With Thanksgiving just days away the holiday is on the minds of many including the nonprofit Abilene Fresh.
“You take this produce home, and smell it all the way home, because the nutrients are there,” said Abilene resident Angela Furnish.
“We used to go to a farm and pick out these sort of things when I was little, so it kind of brings me back to my childhood a little bit,” said Abilene resident Nia Johnson.
Usually Abilene Fresh holds their farmers markets on Mondays and Thursdays, but with Thanksgiving right after the corner, they made some adjustments to their schedule.
“Produce from this local independent farmer is 100% organically grown. It is free of harmful chemicals. It’s picked yesterday or today, so it’s at peak freshness. It hasn’t traveled a thousand miles over a week in the back of a refrigerated truck,” said Abilene Fresh Executive Director John Casey.
Casey says getting involved with local produce helped change his life in more ways than one.
“10-years ago I started eating more food like this. In the last 10-years I’ve lost 115lbs without any regimented diet or any special eating pattern,” said Casey.
Angela Furnish says having access to fresh organic produce has made it easier for her to deal with health problems she has been battling for years.
“This is medicine to me, because I have autoimmune disease. I can’t do traditional medicine. I have a lot of food allergies. I can’t take a lot of supplements. Ever since I started juicing and eating organic whole foods, my body, I can function,” said Furnish.
Shopping for Thanksgiving can be chaotic, and this year the pandemic is not making that process any easier for families. Nia Johnson says she appreciates the convenience and safety this farmers market provides.
“I know they’re pretty good about masking up, and making sure that everything is bagged up and ready to go, so that way there’s very little contact. So that’s really important to me and my family. So I don’t have to go into a really busy grocery store and get what I need,” said Johnson.
According to Casey, Abilene Fresh will continue to hold farmers markets outside the Southern Hills Church of Christ until the middle of December.
