By Mary Bradley
The Belmont Farmers’ Market, located in the municipal lot behind Belmont Center, will be open from June 4 to October 29 this year. Market hours are Thursday afternoons from 2 to 6:30 PM. The Belmont Food Collaborative spent the months prior to the June 4 opening on zoom calls, in email discussions, and in webinars with other farmers’ market organizers and state officials. Their mission was to incorporate the social distancing rules and regulations mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Belmont’s Select Board and Board of Health into a model to ensure maximum safety for both patrons and vendors. The new rules for patrons, the market, and vendors are on the Belmont Farmers’ Market website. The town can close the market if the rules are not followed.
The market is encouraging patrons to pre-order from their favorite vendors and pre-pay so that they can quickly and easily pick up their provisions on market day. For those who don’t want to go to the market, the recently formed Belmont Helps organization has stepped in to assist. Volunteers from Belmont Helps will pick up your provisions from market vendors and deliver them to you. Julie Wu of Belmont Helps asks that people contact belmonthelps@gmail.com with as much notice as possible.
Map of the Belmont Farmers’ Market circulation for June 25, 2020. Graphic by Warren Croce.
Farmers’ Markets are a lynchpin in connecting local farms and vulnerable populations. Market committee chair Hal Shubin explains:
“Farmers’ markets are on Governor Baker’s list of essential services. One reason for that is that markets are food sources, just as grocery stores are. But it’s more than that. Farmers’ markets provide assistance to people who are food insecure. Most farmers’ markets match SNAP benefits [food stamps]. At the Belmont Farmers’ Market, we match up to $20 for SNAP shoppers each week. And most of our produce vendors participate in HIP [Healthy Incentives Program]. That’s a big part of our mission, and one of the reasons that farmers’ markets are important, especially as unemployment rises. SNAP shoppers can get between $40 and $80 per month of free produce, but only if they buy directly from a farmer. Supermarkets don’t offer SNAP matching, and HIP isn’t available there.
“As reported in many recent news stories, people have become more interested in local food during the pandemic. Farmers’ markets support those local businesses: farmers who raise and sell produce, meat and dairy; and people who make pasta, bread, prepared foods and more. And you can talk with the people who grow and make it!”
Mary Bradley is managing editor of the Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter.
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