Funding Secure for Bayview as First Farmers Market
Funding Secure for Bayview as First Farmers Market
(July 23, 2004)
San Francisco – Fresh and healthy food will soon be easily available in the Bayview Hunters Point. The California Attorney General's Office has approved a grant to San Francisco's Environment Department in the amount of $150,000 to fund the creation of a farmers market, the first of its kind in the neighborhood. Scheduled to open in April 2005 at a convenient 3rd Street location, the market, known as the Bayview Hunters Point Farmers Market Collaborative, is a joint project of SF Environment and local organizations Literacy for Environmental Justice and Girls 2000.
In a neighborhood where convenience stores that sell liquor dominate the street corners and the closest major supermarket is not easily accessible, less than 5 percent of the food sold in the Bayview community is fresh produce. Most of the available food is pre-packaged, and many residents rely on fast food restaurants. Historically, the food found at corner stores is expensive and poor in quality.
"Every human being is entitled to a healthy diet," said SF Environment director Jared Blumenfeld. "The farmers market will give Bayview residents easy access to the freshest food available, and is a step towards correcting the historical inequity in that neighborhood, where there are more environmental negatives and fewer amenities than in other parts of The City."
The Bayview Hunters Point Farmers Market Collaborative will operate seasonally on a weekly basis and will offer community cooking demonstration and nutrition education in addition to featuring fresh produce and healthy take-out food prepared by vendors in the neighborhood.
Bayview Hunters Point residents spend an estimated $40 million annually on food, but most of this money is spent outside the community. By providing economic advantages to neighborhood businesses, the Farmers Market Collaborative will be able to help keep food dollars within the community, adding an element of economic sustainability to the program.
The funds granted to SF Environment for the project resulted from an anti-trust complaint against Salton Incorporated by California and other states. Salton, which makes the George Foreman Contact Grill, agreed to pay $7.2 million to settle compensatory claims. California received nearly $900,000 of these funds, and earmarked the money for projects designed to improve health and nutrition in local communities.
Contact:
Gloria Chan (415) 355-3733
