Farmer’s Market
The farmers market at RISS serves as both a workforce development initiative and a community engagement opportunity. It provides residents with hands-on experience in retail sales, customer service, inventory management, product presentation, small business operations, and public interaction while creating a direct connection between the campus and the surrounding community.
The market will serve as an outlet for products grown, produced, and created through multiple campus enterprises. Fresh produce, herbs, flowers, plants, and nursery products from greenhouse operations may be offered alongside resident-created arts and crafts, woodworking projects, printed merchandise, baked goods, canned goods, specialty food products, and other items produced through campus workforce programs.
Residents participating in market operations will gain practical experience in areas such as:
Retail sales and customer service
Cash handling and point-of-sale systems
Inventory management
Product pricing and merchandising
Vendor relations
Marketing and promotion
Market setup and logistics
Event coordination
Packaging and product presentation
Food handling and food safety practices
Small business operations
Entrepreneurship and self-employment concepts
The market is designed to expose residents to real-world business environments where they interact directly with customers, vendors, volunteers, and community members. These experiences help build confidence, communication skills, professionalism, and workplace readiness while creating opportunities to develop employment references and practical work history.
Beyond workforce development, the farmers market serves as a community gathering space that strengthens connections between residents and the public. Community farmers, artisans, craftspeople, food producers, nonprofits, and local businesses will be invited to participate, creating a diverse marketplace that benefits both residents and the surrounding region.
The long-term vision is for the market to become a regular destination where visitors can purchase locally grown produce, handcrafted products, specialty foods, artwork, and other goods while supporting workforce development, entrepreneurship, and community reintegration efforts.
Like all RISS workforce initiatives, the farmers market is intended to provide real experience, practical skills, and meaningful opportunities that can translate into future employment, self-employment, or small business ownership. It represents another pathway through which residents can develop marketable skills, earn income, build confidence, and strengthen connections to the broader community.
If you believe reintegration should be built intentionally, not reactively, we invite you to explore how you can help bring the RISS model to life.
