This article originally ran April 15, 2009 on nj.com
The parking lot of the Casa Israel Adult Medical Day Care in Newark will be transformed into a farmers' market on the first Friday of every month from 1 to 5 p.m. beginning June 5.
A wide variety of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the farm will be available for families in the neighborhood. The farmers' market will run through the first Friday of October.
The farmers' market is an initiative of the Brick City Redevelopment Corp. (BCDC), working in partnership with Newark's family success centers and grant support from the Bank of America. The farmers' markets will be set up in 10 sites across the city.
Rebecca Livengood, a policy advisor for BCDC, said the organization wanted to set up farmers' markets next to or close to the family success centers
Casa Israel is located at 288 Mount Prospect Avenue, next door to the North Ward Center's Family Success Center. Liberty Farms from Sandyston in Sussex County will be the vendor at the farmers' market.
"The presence of nutritious, affordable groceries is fundamental to a neighborhood's quality of life," Livengood said. "By bringing farm stands into Newark's neighborhoods, we hope to help families eat food that tastes good and is good for them while promoting New Jersey's agricultural assets."
The BCDC's farmers' markets will supplement other farmers' markets run by groups such as the Branch Brook Park Alliance and the Newark Downtown District, Livengood said. Famers will accept WIC and the BCDC is working to ensure they can also accept food stamps, she said.
"This is another service that we are bringing to the North Ward Community," said Stephen N. Adubato, the founder of the North Ward Center. "We encourage all of the community to participate."
As part of the farmers' market initiative, the BCDC is also promoting an 8-week nutrition class to be run by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Essex County.
The North Ward Center serves more than 10,500 residents of the greater Newark area through its institutions and programs, including the Robert Treat Academy, five preschools, Newark Business Training Institute, youth leadership and recreation programs, and a variety of family based services.
The North Ward Center's Family Success program started in June 2007 and is one of 32 such sites in the state. Family success centers are open to any member of the community seeking support, information, and services.
