Photos of the City Green Veggie Mobile at Lou Costello Park in Paterson. Photos by Russ DeSantis.
Whether it's standing beside a weekly market, driving down Route 46, or nestled in the Farm Eco-Center parking lot, you’ll know the City Green Veggie Mobile when you see it. For two decades, City Green has been bringing mobile farm stands to the people of Passaic County, becoming interwoven with the communities we serve and the individuals we meet. It is within our organizational values to provide the opportunity to grow, learn about, and positively engage with healthy fruits and vegetables for all people in communities in support of sustainable livelihoods. At City Green, community engagement is an investment — our mobile markets are a culmination of the hard work each sector of the organization puts into our ultimate mission of creating nourished and flourishing cities.
Food access is no small issue in New Jersey, and City Green is familiar with these struggles on a local level. In 2021, Rutgers University published that more than 97,000 Passaic County residents received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and nearly 15,000 residents received Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in 2022. With more than a hundred thousand community members lacking adequate funds for healthy groceries, City Green does more than just accept federal nutrition benefits: we double them. Through our Good Food Bucks Program, customers are able to double SNAP, WIC FMNP (Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program), and Senior FMNP at all of City Green’s farm stands. Suddenly, the money allotted for one week of groceries can cover a family’s needs for two — that is the immediate relief we are proud to offer. In the long-term, we aim to educate and empower those who shop with us. City Green’s mobile markets are not just a place for people to get their groceries, but a tool to spread agricultural knowledge and to make healthier choices an easier option for local families.
A typical farm stand day begins in the early morning, as the market staff loads up the Veggie Mobile with the crops harvested earlier in the week — the same crops that were planted many weeks earlier by our farmers, cultivated organically and with a focus on maintaining a healthy habitat. City Green grows over 180 varieties of organic fruits and vegetables, but the day’s inventory depends on what’s in season: lots of greens and herbs in the spring, tomatoes, corn, melons and peppers in the summer, and sweet potatoes and squash in the fall, to name a few. When the veggies make their way to their final destination, they are the star in an arrangement of farm-fresh goods from City Green and other regional farms, sitting among local fruit, flowers, pasture-raised eggs, grains, and honey.
The first round of customers is usually right on time, quick to scope out what we have to offer that week. Energy buzzes as shoppers and families discuss what meals they could make, or what groceries would be helpful to have handy. People exchange recipes and advice, explaining how they prepare different vegetables and incorporate them into their lives. Our market staff is always at the center of these conversations too, explaining the timeline of our seasonal produce or giving their input on what’s tastiest on the table. Plus, we are always looking to spread the word about our affordable food and programs, often having an outreach table next to the food to answer questions or hand out informational flyers. This is another way we hope to optimize our reach across the area, by giving patrons the tools to tell their friends, families, and other community organizations. The atmosphere fosters connections, and valuing those community ties and experiences has allowed us to create reliable and effective markets that work for the people who need them most.
Ultimately, City Green’s mobile markets are an instrument of equity and accessibility. It is our foundational belief that all people should experience long-lasting food security while engaging with and learning about where their food comes from. We want our customers to walk away from a market knowing that they are buying high-quality produce that comes from a team that cares about the people who eat it and the land that supports it. From a conversation with market staff or interacting with a tabling event, there are always opportunities for our shoppers to understand more about the food they are buying, get a better sense of City Green’s initiatives, and share their thoughts on the community’s needs. Without our mobile markets, City Green would not be where it is today — they bring us out into the areas we serve and leave us with new ideas and perspectives that help us channel change.
The City Green Veggie Mobile and Farm Stands can be found
Tuesdays
Lou Costello Park in Paterson on the Ellison St. 11am-3pm
Bloomfield Farmers Market at the Bloomfield Library 3:30pm-6:00pm
Wednesdays
City Green Farm Stand 171 Grove St. Clifton 3pm-6pm
Fridays
Passaic City Hall 330 Passaic St. 10am-2pm
City Green Farm Stand 171 Grove St. Clifton 10am-2pm
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