Weymouth Farmer’s Market will celebrate National Farmer’s Market Week on August 13th with Mayor and state representatives

Weymouth, MA – National Farmers Market Week is August 7-13, 2016.  In celebration, the Weymouth Farmer’s Market will give away free ‘I Heart Farmers Markets’ temporary tattoos and raffle off $100 in Market Bucks for purchasing fresh local food.  The Market Bucks will be divided evenly between two winners ($50 each), and participation is free.  Visitors of the market will be welcomed by Mayor Robert Hedlund, Senator Patrick O’Connor, and Representative James Murphy. 

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Farmers markets are more than just an outlet for fresh produce and friendly farmers.  According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, these grassroots venues have increased in number by over 60% since 2009 to more than 8,500 today.  These markets preserve farmland, stimulate local economies, increase access to fresh nutritious food, improve community health, and promote sustainability.  For example, growers selling locally create thirteen full time farm operator jobs per $1 million in revenue earned while those that do not sell locally only create three.  Massachusetts is home to approximately 250 farmers markets.

The Weymouth Farmer’s Market opened its doors in 2009, and currently has four farmers selling a wide variety of locally grown produce.  Other products sold at the market include breads, baked goods, crafts, honey, fish, lavender, pasta, pastries, pretzels, soaps, and much more.  The market has over 15 vendors registered for the 2016 season.

“Every market is an opportunity to bring the community closer and celebrate fresh local food,” said Nicholas Bulens, Administrative Services Coordinator for the Town of Weymouth.  “We have live music every Saturday, and offer free yoga classes through mid-September.  The market is just as much a weekly social experience as it is an invitation to healthy eating.”   

In the last two years, the Weymouth Farmer’s Market has teamed up with the Weymouth Food Pantry to make fresh produce and other local food more accessible to families in need.  Through the market’s EBT program, families receiving federal food assistance can redeem their public benefits and receive a “market match” up to an additional $20 a day.  This means families can purchase twice the amount of food than they otherwise could.  In addition, match dollars are offered to clients of the Weymouth Food Pantry as part of a new initiative for the 2016 season – the Farm to Family Program, supported by a grant from the Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation.

“Farmer’s markets play an important role in building healthy and vibrant communities,” said Mayor Robert Hedlund.  “Markets are conduits for food and health education.  Vendors teach customers about growing and preparing their own food, they share recipes, and they expose them to new food.  A farmer’s market is local business at its best.”  

“Local Farmer’s Markets are important to the local economy and small business owners in the area,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor. “They give people in the community the opportunity to support their local farmers, and more importantly put healthy food options on their dinner tables.”

The Weymouth Farmer’s Market is a community event coordinated by the Town of Weymouth and funded in partnership with the Weymouth Food Pantry and Mass in Motion, an initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  The market is open Saturdays, 9 am to 12 pm, through October 15th, rain or shine, at Legion Memorial Field in East Weymouth.