Jonnycake Center of Westerly Announces No-Cost Farmer’s Market

Information via Jonnycake Center

WESTERLY, RI – The Jonnycake Center of Westerly has announced the return of its annual seasonal Farmer’s Market. Every Wednesday morning during harvest season, neighbors in need of healthy nutrition are invited to the Center’s rear parking lot (at 23 Industrial Drive in Westerly) to receive fresh fruits and vegetables at no cost. Representatives from peer service agencies will be available to offer info and additional community resources. Service begins at 9am on market days and lasts until supplies are gone, approximately between 11am and 12pm.

Most produce comes from the Community Garden in Charlestown, RI, which is operated by Jonnycake Center of Westerly staff and volunteers. Supplemental produce is provided by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, donations from Westerly-area grocers, and individual private donations.

“The Jonnycake Center of Westerly’s weekly Farmer’s Market is one of our signature programs,” said Sarah Shaw, Food Pantry Manager. “We are delighted to offer fresh, sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables at no cost for our clients and community. By making essential nutrition available without charge, convenient to where many of our community live, work, and shop, we can encourage healthy eating habits and make a difference in the fight against local hunger. We are also grateful for our partners from fellow service agencies who come every week to present information about their own services.”

The Jonnycake Center of Westerly Farmer’s Market runs every Wednesday morning, rain or shine, until mid-to-late September. Find more information at jonnycake.org or call (401) 377-8069. Follow Jonnycake social media for the most current information about the Market.

The Jonnycake Center of Westerly is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides a continuum of services designed to lift individuals in need out of crisis and lead them toward a path of self-sufficiency. The Center’s primary services include its Food Pantry, which provided over 233,000 meals to the community in 2019-20; Social Services, which distributed over $111,000 in emergency financial assistance to nearly 3,000 local residents in the last year; Holiday Gifts and Meals, which served over 1,500 struggling residents and children in 2020; a seasonal Community Garden, which provides sustainably-farmed fresh produce for its own Food Pantry and pantries of peer agencies; a seasonal No-Cost Farmer’s Market providing nutrition for neighbors in need; Volunteer Opportunities that welcome people of all ages and abilities; Educational Initiatives, including training for underemployed adults (temporarily paused during the pandemic); and a public-facing 7,000 square-foot Thrift Store, which provides approximately 50% of the funding necessary for the Center to stay operational.