By Shawn Personke
(This is the seventh in a large series of profile stories planned for 2023 to introduce the Chelsea community to the folks who keep it humming each day. We want you to learn more about Chelsea as a community — as told through the eyes, ears and voices of many different people.)
Emily Griswold is a familiar face around town — especially May through October, when the Chelsea Farmers Markets are in full swing. You’ll find her hustling between booths — every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning — visiting with customers, and talking “all things eating better and local.”
Griswold, whose family has been in the area since the mid-1800s, started her ties with the Chelsea Farmers Market back in 2014 when she began selling produce and CSA shares from her family’s centennial farm in Stockbridge.
After some life changes caused a pause in her farming career, she took the opportunity to become market manager in 2017, which, as turned out, turned out to be a perfect fit for her caring and empathetic personality.
“I do love being of service,” Griswold said. “My passions are myriad, but I’m thankful to be able to serve those who don’t have access to fresh, healthy, local food and food insecure families.”
Griswold also finds satisfaction in supporting the producers that are key to the market’s success.
Plus, she understands the work they do and passion they have for their livelihood.
“Our vendors and farmers work tirelessly to provide the highest quality and most sustainable products for the health and wellbeing of our patrons and the earth,” she said. “Having small-scale farmed for almost a decade, I am clear on the unwavering dedication these humans have to their craft.”
She also has high praise for the market-goers that come each week to not only shop, but also to socialize with friends and farmers.
“The Chelsea community is amazing,” Griswold said, noting market patrons are so giving and supportive. “I love watching the pollination of relationships and then the blossoming of those initial conversations that happen in that space.”
Reiley Curran, manager of community health improvement for Chelsea Hospital, sees Griswold as a true community asset.
“Her experience, knowledge and dedication to building strong and sustainable local food systems is evident in her work every day,” said Curran. “Emily is passionate about creating community connections to food, farmers and artists. She’s always looking for ways to reach more people, and has worked incredibly hard to strengthen and build programs that increase access to healthy foods for low-income populations in our area.”
Griswold notes that Chelsea’s unique location — situated geographically among farmland and on the outskirts of urban terrain — is part of the reason the market has been successful and why the Chelsea area is flourishing in many ways.
“It’s a mix of many ideals and expressions that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to work together, but they do,” she said. “I think what creates the success of any place is the willingness to stay open to change and co-creating.”
“Chelsea continues to attract young, vibrant minds – open to shifting what doesn’t work, working toward sustaining what does and willing to listen to the voices of all their dwellers.”
Griswold has a full schedule. In addition to parenting her two daughters, she also teaches at Breathe Yoga Chelsea and mindfulness and horticulture to incarcerated youth at the Jackson County Youth Center. She uses her spare time to fill her bucket, to stay mentally and physically healthy.
“I love to garden, run, swim, meditate, listen to podcasts, spend quality time with my beautiful family, travel, and work toward remaining playful.”
With spring and summer on the horizon, Griswold is looking forward to growing the market space to meet the demands of the patrons and to expand the value added social components of the space.
As her role as market manager is technically part time, she fills out her work week as a clerk in the Chelsea Hospital emergency room and teaches CPR, AED, and First Aid to the community at large.
Griswold said that the pandemic’s ripple really caused an increase in the number of folks needing emotional, spiritual, physical and economic support. She’s grateful to have the opportunity to help meet those needs through her role as market manager and community partnerships.
“Having organizations such as the 5 Healthy Towns Foundation, Chelsea Hospital, Faith in Action, and the chamber working to support our local non-profits, the health of our families, the food security of our community and our downtown businesses has helped our community tremendously,” she said.
“Those same organizations are supporters of our market space and with their help I am able to support the implementation of programs that feed my passion and the community.”
Griswold notes that this helpful spirit is part of what makes Chelsea such a unique town.
“So many people in our community do such good work,” she said, “I am especially inspired by my colleagues at the hospital in the Community Health Improvement Department – the work that they are all doing with SRSLY and mental health support in our community, directly with youth, makes my heart explode with gratitude and admiration.”
(Note: The Chelsea Farmers Markets begin the season on Wednesday, May 3 and Saturday, May 5.)
