Last updated on June 13th, 2024 at 06:53 pm
The YMCA of Frederick County is hosting “Produce in a SNAP” markets at its Teaching Kitchen in partnership with Hungry Harvest.
The Y is located at 629 N. Market Street in Frederick, Maryland. The market is open every Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. Anyone is welcome to stop in and participate in this service.
Produce in a SNAP, a food access initiative of Hungry Harvest, is a series of reduced-cost community produce markets that provides access to fresh, affordable food to those with limited food access, either geographically or financially. Every weekly market features a variety of fruits and vegetables for roughly 50 percent less than grocery store prices.
Over the last two years, Produce in a SNAP has partnered with schools, churches, community centers, colleges and hospitals to place markets in the locations to meet the needs of food insecure populations. In 2018, they sold 17,000 bags of reduced-cost produce, serving more than 3 percent of the food-insecure population in Baltimore through a network of 20 produce markets.
The 2018 Map the Meal Gap data gathered by the Frederick Food Council shows that more than 500 households in Frederick City are located in local food deserts (not including updated data since Safeway’s closing), meaning that those who live in that area do not have easy access to fresh foods.
The Produce in a Snap market was created to help address that lack of access to the residents in and surrounding downtown Frederick. Each week, a pre-selected variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are grouped together and sold for $7. Other items are offered as add-ons that can be purchased for a dollar or two.
The Produce in a SNAP market accepts cash, credit or SNAP/EBT for the $7 bags of produce.
The Y is a nonprofit organization anchored in more than 10,000 communities across the U.S. It serves 21 million men, women and children, regardless of age, income or background, to nurture the potential of children and teens.
