The Lakeshore Depot’s Michael Hainstock stands by a variety of goods sold at the specialty food store. A crowdfunding campaign is underway to help meet the store’s goal of being a local hub for community and agriculture. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — Marquette’s Lakeshore Depot, the Upper Peninsula’s only year-round indoor daily farmer’s market, is asking for community support on Giving Tuesday for its crowdfunding campaign with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

An event will be held at the Lakeshore Depot from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday with a goal of raising $10,000 on that day toward the overall crowdfunding campaign goal of $50,000 for a new community gathering space.

Depot owner Mike Hainstock will be present with other staff to meet with donors, answer questions and talk about the vision for the space.

“We will be serving up free soup and good vibes,” organizers said in a news release. “We will have music by local musicians, meaningful conversations and be ready to hear from our community.”

The Lakeshore Depot set a goal to complete its vision of becoming a local hub where community and agriculture meet with the help of a new crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Lakeshore Depot, a low-profit limited liability company, recently announced.

The campaign is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by Dec. 21, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program.

Located along Lake Superior across from McCarty’s Cove on Lakeshore Boulevard, the depot offers a wide variety of regional and local produce, meat, eggs, dairy, craft beverages, dry goods and pantry staples. Although it opened its doors in July 2020, this campaign will allow it to complete its space and expand for greater community use.

“We are very excited to enter this new phase of Lakeshore Depot’s mission. Thanks to this partnership with the MEDC, we will be able to better support our community and strengthen Marquette’s local food system,” Hainstock said.

The funds raised in this campaign will allow the depot to expand into a new space and create a deli and cafe space, an indoor seating area, bathrooms, Wi-Fi and a community garden. This new community gathering space will support its mission of driving local sustainability efforts, improving food security, investing in local farmers and providing a platform to educate the community on sustainable food systems.

“Food hubs like Lakeshore Depot bring new vitality and provide spaces for community to gather, support local producers and food entrepreneurs, and purchase locally made goods,” MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Michele Wildman said in a news release. “We are pleased to support and provide resources for this project through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity, in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“The Michigan Municipal League is a firm believer in building community wealth in ways that build on existing assets to enhance the human experience for everyone,” said Dan Gilmartin, the league’s CEO and executive director, in a news release. “Adding space, amenities and food offerings at the existing Lakeshore Depot in Marquette does both. With the support of the Marquette-area community, this effort will improve the human experience for everyone for years to come. That is what community wealth-building is about.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matching funds of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of Nov. 5, MEDC has provided more than $9.5 million in matching grants.

Since the launch of the program, 295 projects have reached their goals, with $10.9 million raised from 51,096 individual donors, officials said. Communities have a 97% success rate in achieving their goals and earning the matching funds, according to the MEDC.

For project details and to donate, visit patronicity.com/lakeshore.