With a plethora of family members and friends looking on, Jennifer Goodrich was named Mercer Island’s 2024 Community Member of the Year at city council’s regular meeting on June 3 in a packed room at the community and event center.

Council selected Goodrich to receive the annual award — which has been bestowed upon outstanding locals for their volunteer service and leadership since 1990 — for her “significant contributions to the Mercer Island Farmers Market and her enduring commitment to building a vibrant, connected community,” according to a city press release.

Goodrich, who currently serves as past president on the market board, said she’s excited and honored to receive the award.

While the spotlight may be on her, Goodrich explained that it’s important to recognize all the people who help bring the market to life each Sunday from the beginning of June through the end of September on two streets adjacent to Mercerdale Park.

“It’s really because of the hard work and dedication of so many volunteers, our staff, our vendors, my fellow board members that made this all happen. I am grateful to all of them for their hard work and dedication,” said Goodrich, who has served on the market board since 2018.

According to a market press release, it is a community-powered nonprofit dedicated to supporting local growers, producers and small businesses. Its Market Bucks program provides extra support for shoppers experiencing food insecurity.

When it was nomination time for the award, Goodrich’s husband, Andrew, submitted her name to the city, “because I witnessed firsthand the incredible amount of time and energy she dedicated to making the market into the vibrant community gathering space it is today,” he said.

Andrew noted that upon emerging from the challenges of the COVID lockdown, there were complex restrictions organizing a weekly event like the market. He added that Jennifer and the board worked incredibly hard with the market’s volunteers, farmers and sponsors along with city partners to bring a sense of community togetherness back to the Island.

“Anyone who was at the market’s opening day last Sunday (June 1) could feel the joy and excitement in the air, and I think Jennifer played a small but vital part in that,” Andrew said.

Added Mayor Salim Nice, “Jennifer has devoted countless hours to the Farmers Market, and her leadership has helped it grow into a cherished community gathering space. Her passion, problem-solving skills, and inclusive approach embody the very best of Mercer Island’s spirit.”

Jennifer said that she appreciates Andrew’s nomination and support when she spends copious amounts of time working hard on the market. She added that her family puts its efforts into the market, as well, and their kids love the event.

“It’s truly kind of like an all-family, all-friends, all-people type of a gathering space. Seniors to infants, and we try to make our products accessible with things like the Market Bucks program so that everybody can enjoy and be a part of the market,” she said.