It鈥檚 the perfect place to buy fresh, locally grown produce.

But the 91原创 Community Farmers Market is so much more than that, says Angie Quaale. It鈥檚 an opportunity to educate children about the origins of their food and to support local farmers.

Speaking before 91原创 City council on March 18, Quaale, the market鈥檚 co-chair, offered thanks for a $5,000 community grant received from the City and said the money will be used to purchase equipment such as carts and to upgrade market infrastructure.

As the weekly farmers鈥� market prepares to begin its fifth season on Wednesday, May 22, organizers have signed another five-year memorandum of understanding with Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Quaale told council.

Originally located in the KPU parking lot along Glover Road, the market was moved to the opposite side of the campus, adjacent to the 91原创 Bypass.

Last year, it was relocated again to the centre court of the university campus 鈥� a move that  has proved a bit problematic, said Quaale.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had some challenges with visibility and signage,鈥� she told council.

However vendors now have more access to electricity, which is a plus, she added.

Like most things, the market requires money to operate and so on Monday, LCFM hosted a long table dinner at Fat Cow and Oyster Bar.

The goal of the sold-out, four-course meal, which featured locally grown and produced food, was to raise between $8,000 and $10,000 for the market.

鈥淲e鈥檙e working hard to be sustainable 鈥� to be a market that has a little money in the bank, not scraping by,鈥� said Quaale.

So far, she said, the effort appears to be paying off.

鈥淭he 91原创 Farmers Market is healthy and well supported by the community.鈥�

In 2012 the LCFM tallied 612 vendor/booth days with an average of 31 vendors participating each week.

It welcomed 18,000 visitors throughout the season, an increase of 20 per cent over the previous year, working out to an average of about 900 people per week.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of community participation in the market,鈥� Quaale said.

Despite the presence of several community gardens, the City of 91原创 is not a large agricultural community, said Mayor Peter Fassbender. But having a farmers鈥� market helps bring urban residents into contact with local growers, he added.

Having producers and consumers come face-to-face, 鈥減uts a face to your food,鈥� agreed Quaale.

鈥淚t helps kids understand that food doesn鈥檛 just come in a plastic bag, but that someone grew it,鈥� she said.

鈥淭he object (of the weekly market) is to keep money here and feed our farmers,鈥� Quaale said.

鈥淚 think they have the most important job in the world.鈥�

For more information, go to langleyfarmersmarket.com.