Every Saturday during winter (and more often during the summer months) Detroiters flock to Eastern Market to buy fresh food, check out the vendors and just plain mingle and enjoy the day. Most Saturdays you can find Cindy Pasky, Strategic Staffing Solutions (S³) president and CEO, at the market. After all, she’s a downtown business leader who actually lives in the city.

The six-block public market has a long history. It’s been feeding Detroit and providing jobs since 1891. Every Saturday it is transformed into a vibrant marketplace with hundreds of open-air stalls. As the Market says it’s “where everyone from toddlers to tycoons look for fruits, veggies, fresh-cut flowers, homemade jams, maple syrups, locally produced specialty food products, pasture and/or grass-fed meat and even an occasional goose or rabbit.”

The Market is a great place to visit and spend a few hours but it also has the potential to make an even bigger impact on Detroit’s economy and its residents.

According to the Market, estimates say if 25% of our food could be sourced locally it would generate nearly 5,000 jobs, create $20 million in new local taxes and $125 million in new household income.  Detroit sure could use those jobs and those dollars.

With that in mind, S³ entered into a three-year commitment to sponsor Eastern Market’s Winter Season and support to expand educational aspects of the Friends of Eastern Market program. While S³ never reveals the dollar figure of its sponsorships, this one is indeed major.

“Eastern Market is one of Detroit’s treasures and S³ is committed to supporting our city’s gems and the health of those who live here,” said Pasky. “Our sponsorship will help develop and advance one of Detroit’s most cherished places, increase job opportunities and improve access to healthy foods at America’s most complete metropolitan food hub.”

That gift will help increase awareness of Eastern Market during the winter season and allow it to continue to build new programs as new market facilities, such as the Detroit Community Kitchen, come on line. Its support of Friends of Eastern Market helps the Market continue to improve access to healthy, green, affordable and fair food choices in Detroit and throughout Southeast Michigan while also strengthening the food sector as a pillar of regional economic growth.

Colorful S³ winter season street pole banners and signage have been installed to better welcome Eastern Market visitors from now until the end of March.

“Throughout the year, the nature of the market changes with the seasons. By developing seasonal sponsorships for the winter, spring, summer, harvest, and holiday seasons we hope to develop new programs and marketing materials that highlight each season’s distinctiveness,” said Dan Carmody, president of Eastern Market. “We’re grateful for Cindy Pasky’s outstanding leadership in paving the way and appreciate S³’s support as our first seasonal Market sponsor.”

Check it out.