Farmers Market to bring affordable organic produce weekly to Wayne State, Midtown communities

Wayne State and Eastern Market are teaming up with Detroit-based growers and local farmers to promote locally grown produce and help connect them with members of the University and Midtown communities.
From June 3 through Oct. 30, the Wayne State Wednesday Farmers Market, a project of SEED Wayne, will offer fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers and prepared foods every Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in front of Prentis Hall on Cass.
“We wanted to be on a public bus route and a major street where there was enough traffic, but also where people driving by could stop for a few minutes to look and shop if they wanted to. Warren was too busy; Cass Ave was perfect,” associate professor of Urban Planning Kami Pothukuchi said.
The goal of the program is to improve access to affordable, healthy foods for campus and near-campus residents and employees, according to Pothukuchi.
“We want to connect Detroit-based eaters with people who produce their food in the city and the region and build a strong, healthy and sustainable food system in the region,” she said.
“Detroit doesn’t have many options to purchase fresh produce; let alone organic,” SEED student leader Will Ahee said.
“Detroit is pretty much a food desert and most people shop at fringe locations, like liquor stores and corner stores, for their dietary needs.  In terms of supermarkets, every major supermarket chain has left the city, so farmer markets are sort of an alternative.”
The Wayne State Wednesday Farmers Market came about after two successful pilots and was organized by SEED Wayne last year.
“We contacted every Detroit market that we could for two pilot markets last year, just to test it out,” Ahee said. “It was supposed to be a monthly market but turned into a weekly market.”
“There was lots of excitement among shoppers who wanted to see a weekly market; we at SEED Wayne worked hard and made it happen,” Pothukuchi said.
SEED Wayne works with campus and community partners to bring the market, and the most important community partner for the market is the Eastern Market Corp.
“Eastern Market is a lot of times given the most attention, yet they are partnering with us because they realize that we need more farmers’ markets across the city,” Ahee said.
SEED Wayne works closely with WSU business operations and its partners, EarthWorks Urban Farm Program and The Greening of Detroit Organization.
The market will accept the Michigan Bridge Card and the WSU One Card, and will soon be authorized to accept Project Fresh and Senior Project Fresh coupons.
“We’re authorized to accept the Michigan Bridge Card, which means that our market is now more accessible to low income shoppers, including students and staff from WSU, who otherwise may not shop at the market,” Pothukuchi said.