New farmers market opens today in the Historic Northeast

For the last five years, the Mattie Rhodes Center has hosted La Chalupa Farmers Market every Thursday outside its Northeast location, at 148 N. Topping Avenue. When Jenna Wilkins, one of the veggie vendors there, heard the market wouldn’t be returning in 2015, she banded together with some of her fellow vendors and set out to create a new farmers market in the Northeast. They did some crowdfunding, partnered with the nonprofit Historic Northeast Events 501(c)3, and found a Christian church nice enough to let them rent out a parking lot at the corner of Independence Avenue and Gladstone Avenue for a few hours every week.

The result, the Northeast Farmers Market, debuts today, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 3001 Independence Avenue, outside Independence Boulevard Church. It’ll be held at those hours every Thursday all the way through to October 1. 

“We’re trying to be a spot where hundreds of people in the neighborhood can gather and buy healthy foods in a really positive environment,” Wilkins tells The Pitch. “Nothing like that really exists on Independence Avenue right now. So we’re hoping it’s an inviting thing that anyone driving down Independence Avenue can see and check out.” 

There’ll be about 12 vendors — five of whom sold at the Maddie Rhodes market, the rest recruited by Wilkins and her fellow organizers — hawking fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, milk, meat, bread, tamales, coffee, crafts and more. (Vendor profiles can be found on the market’s website.) The market is also part of the Beans and Greens program, meaning customers with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) get matching funds up to $25 on purchases.

“So you can use $25 worth of SNAP and get $50 worth of food,” Wilkins says. “It empowers people to be able to afford the higher prices that come with growing healthy food locally.” 

Also on hand: KCUMB providing information on nutrition; the University of Missouri Extension doing some cooking demonstrations; and BikeWalkKC advising on bike repair and education. There’ll also be some face painting, juggling and acoustic tunes from Rex Hobart. The Northeast Farmers Market official site can be found here.