Quaker Market Committee Report—6th month 2022
Annapolis Friends Meeting held its Quaker Spring Market on 7 May, 2022. The joy of being back together in person could hardly be dampened by the soggy weather or covid safety precautions (masks required indoors and food takeout only).
Thanks to generous AFM donors, we were able to offer Fran Palmeri’s lovely notecards, olive oil from Bethlehem, granola from the Light House Bistro, pet toys made by Young Friends, assorted plants, delicious food, live music, and flea market treasures. Additional items such as berry bushes, barbecue sauces and hot sauces were all donated by Sean Sanders, a young man who, although not a member of our community, believes in what we do, and felt led to help our fundraising efforts, especially on behalf of Ukraine.
Although the total number of shoppers was a little on the low side (to be expected after a two-year hiatus in public Quaker Markets), there were a significant number of newcomers, drawn in by road signs, friends and neighbors. It is such a pleasure to explain to newcomers that most of our items are not priced, because we feel they know their finances better than we do, and therefore know what is a fair price for them to pay. That helps set the tone for newcomers to realize this is not your usual flea market!
Thanks to the generosity of donors (both in-kind and financial), shoppers, and those selling items for us at thrift shops and online, Quaker Spring Market 2022 raised a total of $5,910 for disbursement to causes! The first $250 will be allocated for Young Friends’ discernment, with the remainder divided evenly among the following four causes, leading to an award of $1,415 for each:
Afghan Women’s Fund (for their continuing work to empower women in Afghanistan)
Chesapeake PC User’s Group (to fund refurbishment of laptops and other electronic devices to be offered free of cost to Afghan refugees)
UNICEF (for their work to aid children in Ukraine), and
WE ACT for Environmental Justice (empowering and organizing low-income people of color to build healthy communities for all).
Quaker Markets provide many opportunities to let our lives speak as Friends, as we simplify our lives by donating items we no longer need and work to connect those items with folks who do need them, discern causes that reflect community values including anti-racism and climate activism, model creative ways to limit single-use plastics, extend love and respect to all the shoppers who walk through our doors, and leverage unsold items by working to connect them with causes such as Partners in Care, Books for International Goodwill, and Goodwill.
Quaker Markets happen, not through the work of one person, or even a very strong committee, but through the efforts and love of the Annapolis Friends Meeting community and beyond. Deep gratitude to all for the myriad ways in which you showed your love and support for these Quaker Spring Market efforts.