Squash, crafts from Ghana on hand at market

Shoppers can pick up more than seasonal vegetables at today's Athens Farmers Market. They also can help out Ghanaian children who live in poverty.

Emily Wancier, an Athens woman back for a brief visit from Ghana, is selling crafts to benefit Chance for Children, an organization formed to assist homeless Ghanaian street children.

"People are really curious about it and it's something different," Wancier said of the crafts she's selling. "I think it'll be something a little different than what's been at the farmers market before."

One of the goals of Chance for Children is for artisans to teach street children how to make crafts, giving them a marketable skill to help them support themselves. Thirty-thousand to 50,000 street children live in Ghana, Wancier estimated, adding it's a "really hard thing to calculate."

The crafts Wancier has for sale at the market today are made by those artisans and a few apprentice children.

"All of the proceeds go back to the organization," she said.

The crafts, which range from $5 to $45, include glass-beaded necklaces, beaded necklace do-it-yourself kits, recycled paper greeting cards and colorful batik fabric.

The market is a fitting venue to reach a lar

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