Urban Greens Market is a mobile farmers market opening on June 17, serving Poplar Grove and Glendale. Local produce will be sold at five alternating locations on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. This endeavor is a partnership between local organizations working to make local, healthy food accessible to all members of our community: SLC Green, Green Urban Lunch Box, Real Food Rising and Utahns Against Hunger.
SLC Green — Salt Lake City’s Sustainability Department — received $54,421 from a USDA competitive grant to launch Urban Greens Market. SLC Green wants all Salt Lake City residents to have equitable access to healthy, affordable food and hopes that this program will address that need. The targeted neighborhoods are “food deserts” as defined by the USDA, meaning there is limited access to fresh and whole foods. Urban Greens Market will bring farm stands to the neighborhood’s community centers, creating a walkable shopping experience for an area with low car ownership and infrequent bus service.
Green Urban Lunch Box (GULB) and Real Food Rising will share responsibility for running the stands. GULB is a nonprofit working to increase food production and accessibility for people of all income levels. Their produce is grown in 22 backyard gardens throughout Salt Lake City. Fruit is harvested from their urban orchard and trees from Salt Lake City’s Fruit Share Program. Salt Lake Community Action Program’s Real Food Rising empowers teens through sustainable agriculture by training them to grow healthy food on a 1.25 acre farm in West Salt Lake, providing produce for the mobile market.
In preparation for the launch, SLC Green held focus groups and collected surveys to identify the produce desired by the residents. Patrons will find typical Utah harvests from June – October and more unusual offerings like amaranth, hot chiles and bottle gourd.
Urban Greens Market is participating in the Double Up Food Bucks program administered by Utahns Against Hunger. This program offers matching dollars for SNAP customers — up to $10 per day — for produce purchases, further increasing food access while ensuring that farms are receiving fair value for goods.
Text MARKET to 51555 for updates.
