Stapleton “Farmers” Market: Where are the farms?

Stapleton is the ideal community to support a robust farmer’s market featuring Colorado-sourced produce, which is abundant and spectacular from mid-July though October. Peaches, peas, peppers, plums, apples, corn, melons, squash, and tomatoes are all grown in Colorado and are delicious!

Sadly, the Sunday market in Stapleton, despite an ideal location, seems unable to provide a quorum of farmers that adequately reflect this bounty. While there are a few excellent farms that sell their Colorado produce at the market, the major focus of this “farmer’s” market is prepared food. Dozens of food trucks and stands surround the Green peddling interesting but frequently unhealthy and non-locally sourced products and wares. It can be difficult to even find the produce amongst the other vendors.

I am not opposed to food trucks or other prepared foods, but when the market is branded as a “Farmer’s Market” and there are almost no farms, it seems to me there is a problem. The company behind the Stapleton “Farmer’s” Market, Colorado Fresh Markets, has a good reputation, but they are off the ball with this market. There is more produce available outside Stanley Marketplace in a tiny space on Fridays than at the signature market for our community. If you agree with these thoughts, please help persuade the MCA or Colorado Fresh to make some changes for the better.     —Anthony Gerber

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Keep Children Safe

As a kindergarten teacher in Northeast Denver I work every single day to make sure my students are safe and feel secure as they learn and grow. Feeling safe as a child lays the foundation for a healthy life, yet hundreds of children at the U.S. Mexico border are being denied basic care and humane treatment.

Since the beginning of 2019, more than 500,000 children, women and men have crossed the southern border of the United States seeking asylum. Families are walking for weeks only to find themselves in unsafe U.S. detention centers.

The situation on our southern border is a humanitarian crisis. Migrants, and children in particular, deserve to be treated with dignity and to have their human rights upheld. Nonetheless, U.S. officials are systematically failing to protect asylum seekers and children entering the U.S.

Reports reveal horrendous conditions in detention centers, including children separated from their families, children denied basic hygiene services, and children charged with caring for infants. We know that such neglect is detrimental to children’s well-being, and that when kids are denied basic care—blankets, nutritious food, contact with loved ones—their brain chemistry is negatively affected.

I call on our Colorado congressional delegation to stand up for children and work with the full U.S. Congress and the Trump administration to ensure the well-being of these children. The administration must release children from detention centers, safely unite them with their families, and respect the rights of all migrants to seek asylum in the U.S.

Sincerely, Kristin Enquist, Green Valley Ranch