August 5, 2019
By Paige Pokorney
What do you get when you combine farm-fresh and affordable produce, summer meals, big green trucks, and smiling faces? The Arcadia Mobile Markets!
Children enjoy their summer meal at Hendley Mobile Market.
The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture’s pop-up Mobile Markets provide access to healthy, affordable food every week at regularly scheduled stops in low-income, food-insecure communities. With only three full-service grocery stores serving more than 150,000 residents in the District’s Wards 7 and 8, the Mobile Markets are critical to addressing disparities in access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. The markets accept all forms of payment, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) vouchers; and Produce Plus vouchers.
Disparities in equitable food access are exacerbated during the summer months when children no longer have access to school meals. To help fill in the summer hunger gap faced by far too many D.C. children, the Mobile Markets serve up summer meals alongside fresh produce.
Children enjoy a fun activity with Mary’s Center staff after their summer meal at the Edgewood Mobile Market.
For the past four years, D.C. Hunger Solutions has partnered with Arcadia and D.C. Central Kitchen to provide no-cost, nutritious summer meals at Mobile Markets through the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program. Children and teens 18 and under can enjoy summer meals through the Mobile Markets, and at the nearly 250 participating sites throughout D.C., June through August (no sign-up or application required). With six Mobile Markets in operation this summer, the reach and impact of the markets is greater than ever!
A DCHS volunteer serves meals and shares healthy food resources.
Arcadia’s 2019 Mobile Market Schedule:
TUESDAYS
**Hendley Elementary: 3–6 p.m., 425 Chesapeake St SE
Parkside Unity Health Center: 3–6 p.m., Kenilworth Terrace NE & Hayes St NE
WEDNESDAYS
Chinatown Wah Luck House: 10 a.m. –1 p.m., 800 6th St NW
**The Park at LeDroit with Common Good City Farm: 3–7 p.m., 3rd St. NW and Elm St. NW
THURSDAYS
Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center: 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 3500 MLK Junior Ave. SE
**Bellevue Library / Community of Hope Conway Health Center: 3–6 p.m., 115 Atlantic St. SW
FRIDAYS
**Edgewood: 3–6pm, Edgewood St NE & Evarts St NE,
Oxon Run Park: 3–6pm, Wheeler Rd SE & Valley Ave SE
SATURDAYS
**Anacostia: 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 13th St SE & W St SE
Deanwood Recreation Center: 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 1350 49th St NE
**Serving summer meals through the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program
Can’t make it to a market? No worries! Find an open summer meals site nearest you by texting “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877, or by visiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s site finder or dcsummermeals.dc.gov today.