Pea Shelling Contest at Freedom Farmers Market
Farms To Grow, Inc presents
Freedom Farmers' Market Program
Seasonal, July - November
Visit: www.freedomfarmersmarket.com for more information
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Cooperative - we control the profits so they stay within the micro and macro community
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Local - maximizes local resources to meet local needs and invests in local programs
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Ecological - works in harmony with the environment and replenishes soil through growing and post-consumer compost
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Primary - provides for basic community need of access to safe, affordable, healthy food
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Fair - mutually beneficial to all members
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Inclusive - accessible to the whole community especially low income community members
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Interactive - creates opportunities for community interaction through the creation of a safe weekly community market
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Empowering - enables respectful work and positive cultural experiences for the community
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Educational - develops an informed community whose focus is health, wellness, and holistic development of local community,
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Reliant - on cooperative members and community support to purchase goods and services, invest in the cooperative, and participate in leadership and development of the cooperative’s infrastructure.
Freedom Farmers' Market Cooperative Values
All of our profits are returned to owners, producers, makers, and local caterers and donated to our community, or used to strengthen the cooperative.
Cooperative businesses are honest, open and fair, behave with integrity, and remain accountable for their actions.
History of Freedom Farmers' Market
In 2013, at the invitation of the restaurant owner of Brother's Kitchen, Farms to Grow, Inc. facilitated the creation of Oakland's Freedom Farmers' Market. First located on the parking lot of Brother's Kitchen, the market relocated in 2014 to 5316 Telegraph Ave. Our mission is to bring traditional legacy foods from Black farmers and other sustainable farmers into Oakland as we engage a community vibe of self-reliance, cooperative community development, and healthy sustainable environments for all.
Named by Dr. Gail Myers, co-founder of FTG, because of inspiration from the work of Fannie Lou Hamer's Freedom Farm, the Freedom Farmers' Market supports the idea of freedom to choose affordable local food and freedom to access fresh food grown by Black farmers. In addition to a chance to meet some of California's Black farmers, at the marketplace you can join in the Crowder pea shell off, healthy soul food demos, enjoy the sounds of R&B -Jazz & Blues, free bread, books, and lots of black cultural expressions.
The move to Telegraph Community Center creates a synergy much like a food hub. There is a wonderful "Victory Garden" managed by volunteers, an existing food pantry, meal programs, commercial kitchen, and now a farmers market. We happy to partner with people and community organizations that are passionate about their work as we are and encompasses the same mission.
