Rainy Day, Farmers’ Market Day

<whine>Today is the last day of the local farmers’ market, and it’s raining, and the farmers’ market is downhill, which means it’s uphill on the way back, and I’ve never yet managed to get up that hill without walking my bike.</whine>

Yeah. So, while I’m waiting for the rain to maybe clear up or just stop for a little while, I’ve been reading a piece in the New York Times about programs that help get fresh produce and other healthy foods into corner markets and convenience stores. Why? Because in many urban areas, these are the only nearby stores, so residents’ choices are limited to typical convenience store fare: chips, cookies, candy, soda, and a small selection of canned and packaged foods. And this tends to mainly affect lower-income neighborhoods.

Programs in Newark, New Jersey and other cities help owners of small stores add the healthy offerings with grants for equipment, help with promoting healthy foods, etc.

The article doesn’t mention it, but when small neighborhood markets offer healthier foods, or a wider variety of foods, it also enhances the neighborhood’s walkability, getting more people out of their cars and onto their feet or bikes. That increases the health of the community, as well as property values! It’s a win for any neighborhood, regardless of income levels.

We have a neighborhood market less than half a mile away. Sometimes I pick up a gallon of milk there; more often I’ll stop for a soda.  Over the summer, the owner put out some homegrown vegetables for “sale” (he actually requested donations in exchange). I don’t think it went over all that well. A lot of people in the neighborhood don’t like the store because it’s shabby and stocks porn magazines and knives and things, too. Well, they stock these things because they’re profitable.  What if they found that other things were profitable too? I could definitely see a program like the one in Newark working here — if the owner could get proper refrigeration for produce, and some help promoting the new offerings, maybe people would come.

Meanwhile, I’ve got to go to either the farmers’ market or the grocery store for some produce. I could just drive…I want to just drive. But I also read Adron’s post about going car-free this morning, and now I’m feeling guilty and weak for wanting to drive.