Announcing 2013 Special Event Schedule

As you remember from last season, special events are a highlight of the Bowdoin Geneva Farmers Market.  We’re thrilled to announce our schedule of special events for the 2013 season.  Our special events are scheduled for the Third Thursday of each month (with a few extras thrown in just for some extra fun).

We can’t wait to start another fantastic season bringing the freshest, healthiest food to our neighborhood.  See you at the market!

Where: 230 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester
Parking lot of the Bowdoin Street Health Center

When: THURSDAYS, 2:30-6:30pm
June 20th through October 31st (closed July 4th)

Download the 2013 Bowdoin Geneva Farmers Market flyer!

SPECIAL EVENT SCHEDULE:

• Healthy Summer Kick-Off – June 20th
  
  • Start your summer off right with loads of fun farmers market festivities.  Take the “Soda-Free Summer” pledge, get active, and find all sorts of information about summer opportunities for youth and adults.
• Family Fun Day – July 18th
  • Join us as we celebrate Bowdoin Geneva’s families with special guests Vegetable Circus.  Facepainting, kids’ games, and other activities and giveaways abound!  Co-sponsored by the Family Nurturing Center/Dorchester CARES.
• Celebrate the Fruits of Our Ocean – August 8th
  • Come by to watch the biggest seafood throwdown in Bowdoin Geneva history in honor of the amazing local seafood available at the market.  Co-sponsored by the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance.
• Senior Celebration – August 15th
  • Each year, we honor the seniors and grandparents of our community with a special event especially for them.  Live music, raffle prizes, and discounts for seniors are hallmarks of this great market day.
• Fall Fair for Teens – September 19th
  • Join us for a market day geared towards our neighborhood’s youth complete with teen employment opportunities, social media plugs, music, health information.  Co-sponsored by Boston Youth Fund and Catholic Charities Teen Center at St. Peter’s.
• National Food Day – October 24th
  • Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food.  For a third consecutive year, Bowdoin Geneva will be a hub for community members to pledge their support and celebrate together.  Co-sponsored by Food Day MA.
• Halloween Harvest Festival – October 31st
  • “Trick-or-Treat” at the market this Halloween.  Come in costume to earn prizes or make your way to our facepainting booth for a touch up!  Vegetable Circus is back as we celebrate the end to a fantastic market season.

We’re still seeking volunteers, guest vendors, co-sponsors, and entertainers for many of these days, so if you’re interested in taking part, please call our market manager, Maura Beaufait at 617-754-0026.

Boston Shines on Healthy Corner Store Grand Opening!

On Saturday, April 27th, America’s Food Basket on Bowdoin Street unveiled its healthy offerings to the public!  That day was also the annual citywide clean-up, Boston Shines, and the street was full of volunteers helping out to clean up the neighborhood.  The BSHC Healthy Champions and V.I.P. (Violence Intervention and Prevention) programs were planting veggies in the Norton-Stonehurst Community Garden.  The Sustainability Guild was building out their amazing site on the corner of Topliff and Bowdoin. Staff, participants, and volunteers from CollegeBound Dorchester, the Family Nurturing Center, and the Teen Center at St. Peter’s were all helping out up and down the block!

The whole time, BSHC healthy food folks along with Javier Gutierrez from the Boston Public Health Commission – Healthy on the Block Program were on the sidewalk outside America’s Food Basket.  We were giving away healthy snacks and beverages to all the Boston Shines volunteers and promoting the fact that these healthy items are now available right here in the Bowdoin Geneva neighborhood.

Being outside with Maura and Javier giving away free healthy snacks and beverages was actually fun. There was whole lot of people coming out and helping each other making the community cleaner and better for everyone. There was a lot being supportive and seeing people realize that it’s not only inside their house that they have to clean to make beautiful but the outside too.  What is the whole point if around your area is dirty and your house inside is clean?

I enjoyed it because obviously there was a lot of people and they was fun to be around and also there was loud music that kept our feet moving which was fun because we was actually dancing in the street. ( I’m still wondering if there was some people watching us, but hey that’s what we do if were having fun).

Working with American Food Basket was really nice and they were really helpful they gave away some juices and water for the volunteers because they deserve it after all they did to help out.  America’s Food Basket has been really working on getting more healthy stuff in the store so it was good to make sure that people know about it.  There are still more products we want them to add, but they’re getting there!

There was whole lot of random people coming up to us asking us if were selling food or donating food, and they were excited when we told them it was there for them to have for FREE.  Maura was having long conversations with all of them about the Bowdoin Geneva Farmers Market that’s opening on June 20th as well as two Healthy Corner Store Tour that we’re leading in May. After the tour, everyone will be receiving a free $5 gift certificate to spend at the store and you get a free workbook full of tasty recipes and simple tips on buying healthy, low-cost foods and last but not least a free reusable shopping bag and a calculator. That’s something you should not miss if I was you because your basically missing out the fun that you will have but having that tour with Maura and also those free things you will be receiving .

Youth Intern Profile: Deise Mendes

Hello, my name is Deise Mendes. I am 16 years old, I’m a sophomore at Excel High School in South Boston. During this school year, I will be working at the Bowdoin Health Center as a healthy food access intern. I’m really excited to work here because I’m looking forward to learning and trying new things. During this school year I want to be focused on my school work and preparing for a job down the road.  This internship is perfect for me because it makes me think about my own health and gives me time to balance my homework too!

At my school, I’m also the president of the Multicultural Club.  That means I’m responsible for organizing and thinking up new ideas for school events.  In January, we’re running a Black History Month event that’s focused on Cape Verdeans.  I’m proud of being the president because I get to be a leader and I feel like I am good at helping out.

I was born in Cape Verde and came here when I was 8 years old. Since I came to the US, I have lived in Dorchester. To me, Dorchester is fun – I can’t lie – and I’m looking forward to learning more about the community where I live.

I have 2 brothers, one is older than me and one is younger. During my free time I like to listen to music and watch TV. Among other things, I like to play volleyball – the only sport I’m actually good at. My favorite food is pizza, even though it’s not healthy but I like it anyway.  On the other hand, my favorite vegetable is broccoli so that’s pretty good.

When I get older, I want to be a nurse because I love helping others.  Working in a health center is a great opportunity to reach my goals and learn more about my future career.  I’m looking forward to being here this year.

& that would be it folks

2012 Season in Review

The 2012 season was a record-breaking success for the Bowdoin Geneva Farmers Market.  Sales at the market tripled from around $5,000 in 2011 to almost $16,000.  Likewise, on average 170 individuals visited the market each week, up from 120 last year.  The market’s growth this year, alongside the successes in our other programs (including our Farm to Family subsidized farm share and our small-scale Farm to Store initiative) have led to an overall increase in the value of fresh, locally-produced food distributed in the Bowdoin Geneva neighborhood from $20,225 in 2011 to $34,195 in 2012, representing an increase of almost 70%.  Read the complete end-of-season report here.

Thank you to everyone who came out and shopped this season, and especially to our amazing vendors: City Harvest – Trustees of Reservations, Heavens Harvest Organic Farm, and Cape Cod Fish Share.  We couldn’t have done it without your help!

Please join us as we plan for next season and work together to bring affordable, healthy food to Bowdoin Geneva.  The Food in the ‘Hood Committee meets the second Wednesday of each month from 6-7:30pm at the Bowdoin Street Health Center.  Our first meeting of the off-season will be held on November 14th.  Hope to see you there!

In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy these wonderful photos of an incredible season at the farmers market.  We look forward to seeing you again in June 2013!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Farmers Market Newsletter 10.25.12

View this document on Scribd

For the recipes seen in this newsletter, go to www.foodinthehood.wordpress.com/recipes.