LEAP sent in the following write-up:
As summer kicks into full swing, the Dixwell Q House announces a new Farmers Market in collaboration with CitySeed. The Farmers Market will occur at the Dixwell Q House plaza (197 Dixwell Avenue) every Wednesday from 3 pm to 6 p.m. starting on June 22nd until October 26th. The Q‑House Farmers Market is a partnership also involving LEAP, the Stetson Branch of the New Haven Public Library, the City of New Haven’s Dixwell-Newhallville Senior Center, and Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. Opening day for the Farmers Market will bring together Connecticut farmers, artists, musicians, community members, and, most importantly, plentiful fresh food in the heart of the neighborhood.
Fresh fruit and vegetables as well as some prepared foods using locally grown ingredients will be available for sale. The Farmers Market will accept cash, credit, debit, WIC, SNAP, and senior and WIC Farmers Market coupons. Shoppers can double their SNAP/EBT dollars when buying fresh produce.
Ward 22 Alder Jeanette Morrison explains that the goal of the Farmers Market is to address “the lack of healthy eating options that feed into the multitude of health issues that plague the Black community.” She believes that this collaboration is critical “to the overall health of Dixwell and the City of New Haven at large!”
LEAP’s chief of staff, Yakeita Robinson, explains that the Farmer’s Market will “bring the community together to support local farmers and to learn more about the resources available to our community.” The weekly Q House Farmers Market will provide interactive experiences including cooking demonstrations and lessons on gardening as well as community resources such as health fairs and access to books on cooking and gardening from the Stetson Library.
The new Farmers Market at the Q House is also a space that will bring together multiple generations. Senior citizens attending the Dixwell-Newhallville Senior Center can stop by to get fresh produce on the way home from their Wednesday club meetings at the Q House. Parents will be able to choose healthy options for their kids before they pick them up from summer camp with LEAP at the Q House or the City’s Youth and Recreation camp at nearby Wexler-Grant school.
The grand opening of the market is on Wednesday June 22nd at 3:00pm at the Q House Plaza at 197 Dixwell Ave. Free parking is available behind the Q‑House building in the lot entrance off of Foote Street.
It is wonderful that the CitySeed Farmer’s Market will be joining the fabulous community resources at the Q House, LEAP, Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, Stetson Library and Dixwell-Newhallville Senior center complex, to provide healthy foods to disadvantaged healthy food desert neighborhoods this summer. With the prices of food inflating beyond affordable for lower income folks, it would be great to add a food pantry to the complex so people can pick up free shelf stable foods as well as healthy produce.