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In 2007, the East Palo Alto Community Farmers Market was one of the only places to access fresh fruits and vegetables in the area, said Laura deTar, executive director of Fresh Approach.
But what started as a small market, has expanded to become a hub for good food, small businesses and community resources. East Palo Alto Community Farmers market is operated by nonprofit Fresh Approach, which merged with the original founders of the market Collective Roots in 2018.
Over the years, the Wednesday market has grown to include booths offering cooking demonstrations and goods like fresh honey, pasta and natural deodorant.
“East Palo alto is the redline community of Palo Alto,” deTar said. “It’s a much lower income community compared to the surrounding areas, so a lot of folks are facing food insecurity.”
In an effort to make food more accessible, the market offers a fruit and veggie savings program. Customers who use food stamps or other government assistance can sign up to receive up to an additional $10 for fruits and vegetables every week as part of a matching program.
The market and matching program are funded completely by local donations and small grants because Fresh Approach does not charge booth fees.
“We know that stall fees can become the decision of whether or not farmers can sell at a market,” deTar said. “In most cases, they have to pay a certain amount of their income to the market operator.”
Free stall slots and an increasing number of customers using the matching program have allowed farmers to increase their income and succeed beyond the market. Fresh Approach connects local farmers with other local distribution markets and even purchases their produce to assemble boxes for food banks.
In the future, Fresh Approach only hopes to expand the market and welcome more customers.
“We want to enhance the role of the market as a community resource hub,” deTar said. “We’re working on adding children’s activities, different types of public service workshops with immigration resources in the county or even different job training opportunities.”
The market operates every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Bloomhouse, on 2555 Pulgas Ave. East Palo Alto. Local vendors can apply for booth spaces on the nonprofit’s website.