Acting Mayor Keefe Announces Sandler Square Mobile Market, Bringing Fresh Produce, Resources, and Community to Shirley Ave

 

REVERE, MA – The City of Revere’s Public Health Department today announced the Sandler Square Mobile Produce Market pilot program, set to launch Saturday, June 10, 2023 on Shirley Ave. The Market, which will be available biweekly in Sandler Square, will bring fresh, local produce to Shirley Ave and also provide continued support of SNAP food stamp benefits, WIC vouchers, Senior FMNP vouchers, and Health Initiatives Program (HIP) reimbursements.  

 

The Public Health Department is working with community partners such as The Neighborhood Developers, Women Encouraging Empowerment (WEE) and Mass in Motion to bring a vibrant, locally-sourced market to Sandler Square in the Shirley Ave neighborhood every other Saturday starting June 10th from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (times subject to change). After consultation with multiple vendors, the Department of Public Health made the decision to replace the Friday Farmer’s Market on Broadway with the Sandler Square Mobile Market in efforts to encourage more vendor participation and provide a better day of the week and location for passerby foot traffic on Shirley Ave.

 

"The City of Revere remains dedicated to expanding food access for our residents, especially our senior population and those currently experiencing food insecurity," said Acting Mayor Keefe. "Throughout the pandemic, I worked closely with the Emergency Response Team to bring fresh food to our most vulnerable community members because we saw firsthand how pertinent the issue of food insecurity is to our region. This new pilot program is an opportunity to take something once only at City Hall and expand it directly to our neighborhoods to meet people where they are."

 

The market will provide residents with fresh produce sourced from The Trustees, a local non-profit organization that farms on more than 2,500 acres throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They focus on preserving biodiversity and land stewardship techniques and operate their market on a not-for-profit model that helps bring down costs for customers. The market will also host a rotating assortment of local vendors selling healthy goods and products and a variety of resource tables focusing on city programs and services.   

 

The Sandler Square area brings a host of benefits for market attendees and vendors, including closer access to public transit and increased foot traffic in the area. The Public Health Department will continue to work with WEE, who will offer free Zumba classes on Saturday before the Mobile Market and offer cooking classes using produce found at the market.  

 

“We’re working with State partners and are hopeful this Mobile Produce Market will be a steppingstone to bring a true mobile market to Revere, bringing produce and resources directly to the residents who need it most with a refrigerated van,” said Lauren Buck, Chief of Health and Human Services. “The Department of Public Health is excited to bring this event to community members and we will be working with everyone from vendors to participants to assure its continued success.”

 

The complete list of dates for the Mobile Market are June 10th, June 24th, July 8th, July 22nd, August 5th, August 19th, September 2nd, September 16th, and September 30th.  Different market days will have alternative programming and exciting events, so be sure to stay in the loop on vendors and events by visiting our website at www.revere.org/healthyliving. For more information, please call the Public Health Department at 781-485-8486.