The BPM’s Newest Vendor Is Tackling Food Insecurity Head-On

Boston Public Market photo by Wayne Goldstein

The Boston Public Market’s newest vendor is using fruits, veggies, and snacks to combat poverty, obesity, and food insecurity.

FoodCares Urban Market, which joined the BPM on Saturday, sells a mixture of locally grown and made produce, spices, sauces, and more. But its mission is about a lot more than fueling your lunch breaks and Sunday dinners.

The stall is the latest project from Roxbury-based Baraka Community Wellness, a nonprofit dedicated to busting health disparities and helping families in underserved areas take control of their well-being. Last year, founder Raheem Baraka launched the FoodCaresBoston program, which provides free healthy food and nutrition education to families in low-income areas, particularly housing projects.

His BPM venture will extend and amplify the reach of that initiative in two ways: First, the profits from the retail space will help support the FoodCares program. Second, running the shop will allow Baraka to highlight the wares and enrich the economic opportunities of both local producers and urban farms including the Urban Farming Institute, Hannah Farm, Nubia Farms, ReVision Farms, and the Three Rivers Farm Alliance.

“This incredible relationship [with the BPM] helps our organization bring the conversation of local food access, food insecurity issues and the importance of stimulating urban economies to create equitable opportunities for the whole of Boston to the forefront,” Baraka says in a statement.

You can visit FoodCares Urban Market now, next to the Soluna Garden Farm stand.

Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston, bostonpublicmarket.org.