At the end of a long and quiet hallway in Amherst Regional Middle School, there is a burst of sound and tantalizing smells. On Saturday mornings, the school cafeteria is filled with throngs of people buying and selling local food and crafts at the Amherst Winter Farmer’s Market.

The winter market was created last year to offer a place for both residents of Amherst and the surrounding communities to gather and shop for local goods during the off-season. The market offers a diverse array of food and goods, including fresh vegetables, canned goods and cuts of meat.

The market, which runs from December through March, is slowly gaining popularity with locals and students. The market’s lack of visibility is a challenge for its managers, who are continuously promoting the market around the community to make sure people know about it.

“I love the diversity of vendors. I love all the music. I just wish that more people knew about it,” said Miriam Aylward, one of the market’s co-managers.

According to Aylward, another one of its goals is to make the food and goods sold at the market available to everyone in the community. The market currently offers an Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT-SNAP) that allows people who receive government assistance to have access to local food.

Nora Seymour, a junior at the University of Massachusetts studying sustainable food and farming, is working with the EBT-SNAP program at the Amherst Winter Farmer’s Market. Seymour believes it is important for everyone to have access to local foods, especially people who use the EBT program.

“Farmer’s markets are important for eating local but also for local money to help your own town and for helping local farmers,” she said.

Seymour is one of many Sustainable Food and Farming majors involved with the market.  Although he doesn’t have any formal connection to the winter market, UMass Sustainable Food and Farming Professor John Gerber is doing his best to encourage his students to go to the weekly markets, not only to buy locally grown foods, but also for professional reasons. Each week, Gerber goes to the market to make connections with local farms, hoping to connect the farms with students who are looking for jobs and internships.

Gerber’s efforts have paid off; one of his current students is Sara Hopps, a co-manager at the market, and several of his students are working and interning at local farms such as Red Fire Farms, Atlas Farm, and Simple Gifts Farm.

Will Crosby, a senior Sustainable Food and Farming major is beginning an internship with Simple Gifts in April, but spends Saturdays helping out at Simple Gifts’ table at the market, selling winter greens, eggs, shallots, potatoes, pork and lamb.

According to the farm’s website, Simple Gifts is a community-owned farm in North Amherst, whose goal is to farm economically and ecologically sustainably. All of the produce that Simple Gifts sells is certified organic and the livestock are pastured and grass-fed.

As a UMass student, Crosby values his experience working with Simple Gifts because it complements his education in the classroom. He also feels like going to the winter market is a great way for students to get off campus.

“I feel like [the market] is a great way to [integrate] UMass students with the community,” said Crosby. “The people and atmosphere here just bring a smile to my face in the morning.”

The Amherst Winter Farmer’s Market runs every Saturday from December 3 to March 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The market is located at Amherst Regional Middle School, 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst.

Sarah Hardy can be reached at [email protected].