Illinois Stewardship Alliance's Fiery Fundraiser
And a late-season visit to Lincoln Square Farmers Market
Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s Fiery Fundraiser
On Monday Local Food Forum highlighted four job openings at Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the leading policy advocate for our state’s local food and farm community. The Alliance is also raising money through a fundraiser that is literally hot stuff.
The online fundraiser is called Hot Ones: Cottage Food Fundraiser Edition, and it’s focused on the key role the Alliance played in pushing for the new Illinois law known as the Home-to-Market Act. The law allows cottage food producers — folks who process small-batch products in their home kitchens — to sell on a variety of platforms (under the previous law, they were only allowed to sell at farmers markets).
Supporters of the cottage food law emphasized its benefits to startup food businesses; the opportunities it would produce for lower-income entrepreneurs who lack access to sources of capital; and the important additional income stream for farmers who convert the food they grow into value-added products.
To celebrate this victory, the Alliance is collaborating with state Rep. Will Guzzardi, a leading ally in pushing for the Home-to-Market Act, on an event that involves hot sauces produced by Illinois farmers/cottage producers.
During this fundraising event, modeled after the popular YouTube series “Hot Ones," we'll interview Home-to-Market Act champion State Rep. Will Guzzardi about the cottage food industry, exciting new changes for small businesses, and how people power makes a difference.
Rep. Guzzardi will answer interview questions all while he eats progressively hotter hot wings with sauces made by Illinois farmers and cottage food producers!
The hook? The more online donations the Alliance receives, the hotter the wings that Rep. Guzzardi will eat. Sounds like a brave man.
According to an Alliance email promo today, “Your donation of any size will determine the level of heat on those hot wings — 10 donors for mild, 50 for medium, 75 for medium hot, 100 hot, and 200 for five-alarm fire!” It’s kind of like a politician dunk tank, only with spicy food.
The fundraiser will culminate with a Facebook Live event on November 30 at 7 p.m. central. Click below to donate and raise the bar for Rep. Guzzardi’s challenge.
Tuesday at the Lincoln Square Farmers Market
The Lincoln Square Farmers Market in the eponymous Chicago neighborhood is one of the few in the region that is still going outdoors. I popped in yesterday for a walk-around and to say hi to Elsa Jacobson, longtime friend and market manager-extraordinaire. The market is open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. the next two Tuesdays (November 16 and 23) before calling it a year.
Some photos for you…