June 7th is the opening date for the Amherst Mobile Market, a community driven, bilingual mobile farmers market bringing affordable, organic fresh produce to Amherst’s food desert neighborhoods. Entering its third year, the market season runs through October 22 with four pick-up sites as well as two boxed share delivery sites and four market share options.
Market locations will be at Groff Park on Tuesdays from 4 – 6 pm, Mill River Recreation Area on Wednesdays from 4 – 6 pm, Fort River Elementary School on Thursdays from 4 – 6 pm, and East Hadley Road Valley Bike Station on Saturdays from 11 am – 2 pm. Boxed share delivery is available to residents of Olympia Oaks and Butternut Farms (days and times currently being determined).
This year, the market will pilot four different price points for farm shares. Share sign-ups end on June 30, 2022. Shares consist of $15 worth of your choices of fruits and vegetables, though your choices may be limited if you sign up for boxed share delivery. Shares can be purchased with SNAP and fully reimbursed through the Healthy Incentives Program, and they can also be purchased with cash, check, or credit card. Anyone is welcome to shop at the Amherst Mobile Market anytime using cash, credit, SNAP, HIP, WIC, or Senior Farmers Market coupons. Farm shares are not not required to shop at the market. Share prices range from no cost for very low income individuals to $25 for those who have the means to support another in their community as well as pay for their own share. Most produce is sustainably grown by local farms, and may be supplemented with tropical produce to accommodate a variety of food cultures.
The Amherst Mobile Market is overseen by a diverse group of community stakeholders called the Amherst Mobile Market Planning Committee–this group is convened by Healthy Hampshire staff at the Collaborative for Educational Services and is part of the recently-launched Hampshire County Food Policy Council. The market is staffed by residents of the food desert neighborhoods the market serves.
The market is grateful for the advocacy of state representative Mindy Domb who advocated for an earmark in the state’s ARPA budget that will fund the market for the next three years, and to Valley Grows Day donors, who helped raise a total of $5,380 to support the market this season.
Learn more about the market and share options at amherstmobilemarket.com. Healthy Hampshire is a program of the Collaborative for Educational Services, and you can learn more about the work of Healthy Hampshire here: http://www.healthyhampshire.org/
