HUGHESVILLE, Md. – The annual statewide Buy Local Challenge (BLC) encourages all Marylanders to support their local farmers and pledge to enjoy at least one Maryland grown product every day during Buy Local Week, July 18 through July 26, 2020.
Buy Local Week takes place annually during the last full week of July when locally grown products are plentiful and farmers’ markets, grocery stores and other retail venues around the state are brimming with the bounty of Maryland’s fields and farms.
“This year, the Buy Local Challenge promotion will be supported through the whole of July leading up to and including Buy Local Week,” explained Shelby Watson-Hampton, SMADC Director. “The BLC website at www.buylocalchallenge.com has been recently updated and is the virtual information hub for the BLC promotion. You’ll find a dynamic suite of new online materials to be enjoyed and shared with family and friends that are sure to put a buzz in your Buy Local Week!”
The new BLC resources are designed to inspire and entice consumer support for Maryland farms during BLC week and beyond. Promotional highlights kick-off with a weekly release of the “Follow Me To…” mini-video series, a novel compilation of fun snap-shot virtual tours of farms and businesses around the state, that showcases a wide range of locally made products including meat, fruits and veggies, wine, beer, distilled spirits, cut flowers, seafood, small grains, dairy, honey and other value-added industries.
The BLC website will also host virtual cookery classes through July; follow along with Annapolis Chef Craig Sewell and learn how to create delicious meals all year long. Other BLC promotional enticements include ‘Post Your Fun Finds Photo’ contests that invite consumers to take a photo of their Buy Local shopping spree to win great prizes, and the launch of a new Buy Local Challenge Celebration Recipe Book with original recipes that celebrate Maryland’s farms and food. And look out for a free give-away; bright orange BLC shopping bags with clip-on hand sanitizers sporting the ‘Buy Local’ logo, appearing soon at participating Maryland farmers’ markets.
Visit the BLC website at www.buylocalchallenge.com to find the full inventory of Buy Local Challenge Week highlights and prizes, plus extensive statewide resources including farm guides, farmers’ market directories, downloadable pledge certificates, and the BLC Social Media Kit. Eat and ‘tweet’ local using the Buy Local Challenge twitter hashtag #buylocalchallenge, and visit the Maryland Buy Local Challenge Facebook page for the latest Buy Local Week happenings around the state.
The Buy Local Challenge is a statewide program created by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, and is promoted in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.