It’s back! Eastside Sunday Market opens June 2

Sandra ClarkUncategorized

The Eastside Sunday Market will open for its second season 1-4 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at Dr. Walter Hardy Park, 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

Manager Destiny Miller says community members can shop for a variety of homegrown produce and handmade goods. Seasonal vendors include: Rebel Hollow Farm, Homemade Sin, Hey Moon Farm, Francis Road Farm and Battlefield Farm and Gardens.

“The Eastside Sunday Market increases the accessibility of fresh, nutritious food. Most of our products are grown or made within a five-mile radius,” said Miller.

“The market is located in a food desert. Many of our community members don’t have reliable transportation to visit a supermarket and rely on convenience stores and fast food as their food sources. The establishment of the market has greatly improved the Eastside community’s access to healthy food choices, both physically and economically,” says Pastor Chris Battle, director of Battlefield Farm and Gardens. (Read Betty Bean’s earlier story here.)

If you grow your own produce, make crafts, baked goods, jam, hot foods or other treats, the market is still accepting vendor applications. Reselling is not allowed.

The market happens every Sunday in Walter Hardy Park from June 2 through Aug. 25. For info and vendor applications, visit https://www.eastsidesundaymarket.org/

Funding for the Eastside Sunday Market is provided by the Trinity Health Foundation. The ESM was founded in 2017 in partnership with Tabernacle Baptist Church, the Knox County Health Department, Nourish Knoxville, the National Women in Agriculture and SEEED Knoxville.

Special programs include:

Double Up Food Bucks, a SNAP doubling program, made possible by Nourish Knoxville, the Trinity Health Foundation, Truck 2 Table, Three Rivers Market and the Humana Foundation. For every $1 of SNAP spent at the ESM, SNAP customers will receive an additional $1 to use at the market for fresh fruits, food-producing plants and vegetables.

POP (Power of Produce) Club. Nourish Knoxville will host a POP Club every fourth Sunday through August. Each event will have an educational activity and produce tasting. Every participant, ages 2 to 12, will receive $5 in POP Bucks to spend on fresh fruits, vegetables and food-producing plants at the market. Sponsored by Bank of America and Trinity Health Foundation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *