“We have started a 501C-3 non-profit arm of the farmers’ market so we can apply for grants to fund our food insecurity initiatives. We are a SNAP retailer, certified through USDA,” Sears said. “We have applied for the ‘Double Up’ grant. If someone comes to our table and runs their EBT card for $20, we can give them $40 for SNAP qualifying items. This will be our fourth season of being one of the 17 farmers’ markets that offers Double Up.”

Through the Indiana Department of Health, Sears and Tingler sought the help of Yorktown High School family and consumer science teacher and FCCLA club sponsor Misty Terrell Green to be in the national “Power of Produce” program. 

“Any child through eighth grade can stop by the Power of Produce table where they get a $2 token to buy produce at the market. The booth is attended to by FCCLA club members who distribute information to the students and play games with the kids. We budgeted for 75 tokens and had 464 kids in the first year,” Sears said. “Now we have over 500 kids taking advantage of the tokens.”

With everything from visits and demonstrations by master gardeners to craft participation headed up by a local artist to a farm family who bring their goats to pet, “this is why our market is hopping. We have become an attraction; we want to create an environment that the whole family can enjoy,” Sears said.

“It’s (Yorktown) a great place to be. Having grown up in Yorktown, this is where we wanted to raise our family,” the town council member said. “We are trying to create that third space where people go to work, home — and where is that third place people want to go?”

For third-grader Lucy, the place to go is the Yorktown Public Library, across Indiana 332 from the elementary and middle schools. “I like how they read books to the 2-year-olds,” Lucy said. “And then they have cooking classes. I have made chocolate chip cookies and smoothies.”

Baseball center and sometimes right-fielder Drew enjoyed the sports at Yorktown: “If you wanna try a sport, there’s all sorts of sports there and places where everyone can play. You can practice baseball and football.”

Addy likes that “the animal of our town is the tiger because he’s feisty.”

School and food places rank high

Schools are another reason for the satisfaction among Yorktown families, said 11th-year Yorktown High School Principal Stacy Brewer. The ranking “does not surprise me because — I’m probably biased, but — Yorktown is an excellent place to teach, work and raise children.”

Several third-grade students noted their teachers are “very nice and if you needed help, they helped you,” as Alex said. Sadie said teachers are especially helpful when “teaching long division.”

“We’re continually listed in the USA News and World Report’s top 10 percent of the state and country for our academic prowess,” Brewer said. “Most recently we were named to the Gold-level Advanced Placement School Honor Roll, awarded by the college board.”

The designation is given annually to schools with AP programs that broaden participation, foster college-going culture, and improve student performance. To earn the gold distinction, 75 percent of seniors took at least one AP exam, according to the AP site.

“Yorktown’s strength comes from the way our community looks out for one another,” the principal said. “Across all four schools, this means strong partnerships with families, a clear focus on student safety and well-being, and adults who are deeply invested in helping students succeed academically and personally.”

“When students feel supported and seen, school becomes a more stable, positive place – and that stability extends well beyond the classroom,” Brewer said. “I love working with the Yorktown community, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

The only other place many third-graders want to be is where food is being served.

Third-grader Dominick said he “liked the variety of foods in Yorktown, like burgers, and tacos, and French fries, and chicken nuggets …” It might be noted that McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell are all found along Indiana 332 when traveling from Muncie into Yorktown.

Classmate Braxton added, “Don’t forget Pizza King and Frozen Boulder,” while “Twisters Soda Bar” was added by Caden, whose favorite concoction was strawberry lemonade.

It was hard to believe the students had just come back to the classroom from lunch.