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Get your gifts wrapped at the Farmers Market
gift wrapping at farmers market
Lizzy Schuller will be one of many students from Keyes to Learning Charter Academy who will be wrapping presents at the next three sessions of the Turlock Certified Farmers Market. While the students will receive community service hours, tips will be accepted, which will then be donated to a local charity of their choice (Photo contributed).

Don’t have time on your hands to wrap any Christmas presents? Are you simply just bad at wrapping gifts? Well, fear not, as volunteers from Keyes to Learning Charter Academy will be offering free gift wrapping for the next three weeks at the Turlock Certified Farmers Market.

The idea to offer free gift wrapping originated last holiday season when TCFM marketing director Nick Schuller suggested the idea to Lightly Used Books owner Jenni Brannon. The two hosted a day of gift wrapping at the bookstore. This year, Schuller wants to offer the service to more people for more than just a day.

“I just wanted to wrap presents for people because it's such a big part of Christmas and it can be so fun,” Schuller said. 

The Turlock Certified Farmers Market is open during the holiday season every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the Dec. 9, 16 and 23 markets, wrapping will be available till noon. There is a three gift limit per household.

The Keyes to Learning Charter students, which includes Schuller’s daughter, Lizzy, will be given community service hours for their efforts these next three weeks. There will also be a tip jar, though they won’t be pocketing the money. Instead, the students will be choosing a local charity of their choice to donate the money toward.

“I wanted to spread some of that Christmas joy with this,” Schuller said. “And they’re excited to do it, too.”

Instead of ending its season in October like in previous years, the downtown farmers market extended its run through the end of December this year.

The extended season will allow TCFM customers to continue using their Cal-Fresh benefits and make use of TCFM’s Market Match program.

Market Match is funded through the California Department of Food and Agriculture and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

If customers use their Cal-Fresh benefits to purchase tokens at the market’s info booth (at the intersection of Main and Thor), TCFM will match their purchase dollar for dollar, up to $20 per EBT card each market day. Market Match is good for fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms.