KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 3, 2024 – The äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBվ’s award-winning Free Farmers Market for students opens on Thursday, Sept. 5, kicking off another season of fresh, free produce giveaways on the äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ Quadrangle and at a new, added location this year to serve athletes, commuter students and students on west campus.
The market takes place weekly through the end of October on Thursdays 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Quadrangle, with a new satellite option outside of Mackal-Tootell on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 3 p.m. (while supplies last). On inclement days, the market moves inside Fogarty Hall.
The market is part of äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ community efforts to take excess food grown at the University’s teaching and research farms and share it with äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ students. As a land grant university, food production is part of äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBվ’s curriculum and one of its missions.
The market is supported by student volunteers, for-credit and paid student managers, äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ Health Promotion, the Nutrition Department and Cooperative Extension. and co-coordinate the program with who oversees the Agronomy Farm. Peckham Farm contributes farm fresh eggs and äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ Master Gardeners coordinate the harvest of apples from East Farm.
äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ is one of only a few New England colleges that provide this kind of free, homegrown market, offering food grown less than a mile away at the University’s farms. Farm to table turnaround is less than 24 hours, with farm-fresh produce gathered on Wednesdays and distributed the next day. Last year, those Thursdays shared a large bounty of food: the farm yielded more than 7,000 pounds of produce, shared for free with more than 1,600 äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ students.
All äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ students are welcome and encouraged to visit this year’s market; bring a reusable shopping bag or get one on-site.
Learn more . Volunteers are welcome: sign up to help!