The Royal City Farmers Market is a family affair for three local sisters.
Anne Heath, 88, Armida Beasley, 89, and Nellie Cavell, 93 have been volunteering every week at the market since it began in 2008.
After searching for a volunteer opportunity through a volunteer fair at Royal City Centre, Heath decided the farmers market would be a good place for her and her sisters to lend a hand because of its proximity to their neighbourhood and because of their particular skill sets.
Collectively the three women staff the information booth, while Beasley is also a greeter and manages the drinking water station, and Heath organizes the membership forms and operates the mobile ATM machine.
"Anything that entails money, I look after," she said, noting she also does the arithmetic in her head when dealing with cash.
The three sisters live within a block of each other and enjoy their weekly volunteering as a sibling team, she noted.
"It's become a really great thing and we really love it," Heath said. "We love mingling with the people there; the vendors are all so great. There's a good rapport between the vendors and our booth."
Heath noted at least half of the visitors to the bustling market make a stop at the information booth while they're there.
"I think that just about every other person that comes to the market will come to the information booth for something or other," she said.
Andrew Murray, president of the Royal City Farmers Market, said Heath, Beasley and Cavell are a valuable addition to the volunteer team.
"They bring an infectious enthusiasm to the market every week and we're all better for it," he wrote in an email to The Record. "Their energy and positive outlook on life is truly inspiring."
The farmers market features a variety of vendors selling local produce, dairy, honey, baked goods, meat and fish and ready-to-eat food and drinks, as well as crafts, artisan jewelry, and health and beauty products.
The outdoor event runs every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. until Oct. 10 at Tipperary Park, north of Royal Avenue at Fourth Street.
For more information, visit www.rcfm. ca.
