Our Community Produce Stand Program is temporarily paused due to COVID-19. 

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our pop-up markets brought fresh, high quality, and sustainably grown fruits and vegetables to communities that are under-served by more established farmers market programs. Our network of produce stands consisted of eight weekly pop-up markets throughout Oakland. Located at the North Oakland Senior Center, the West Oakland Health Council, the Oakland Public Library and five elementary schools, our program is sourced from and supports limited-resource, sustainable farmers that grow within 200 miles of Oakland. We worked collaboratively with our in-house distribution center – Mandela Produce Distribution – to ensure that our program sourced from and supported these farmers with competitive pricing and stable retail outlets. Mandela Partners' stands were also supported by a robust network of parent assistants who volunteered weekly at the stands to provide healthy options and develop strong relationships within their community.

 

Our hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic has given us an opportunity to re-engage with community in the safest and most effective way to provide fresh food access to our neighborhoods. As schools begin to reopen, we are investing time into exploring new possibilities of what pop up produce stands could look like in the future.