Foodwise Community

Education Programs: Foodwise's educational initiatives inspire eaters of all ages to participate in cultivating a healthy food system. Our elementary school program Foodwise Kids is a free field trip and cooking class that uses the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market as a classroom for empowering the next generation of healthy eaters. This year we were able to return to fully in-person education to nurture childrens love for fruits and vegetables, teach them to prepare healthy, seasonal foods, and raise their awareness of their role in a sustainable food system. Foodwise Teens, a youth development and entrepreneurship program, gives high school students the opportunity learn about gardening, sustainability, and nutrition and gain valuable job skills in business, marketing, and sales. This year we increased more of our adult-focused programming with free cooking demos, and sustainability talks to connect people and build community around healthy, seasonal food. Our goal in all of our programs is to provide the opportunity for our community to deepen their understanding of and engagement in sustainable food systems.

Farmers Market Programs: Foodwise Community has managed the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco since 1994, and the Mission Community Market in San Francisco since 2017. Foodwise's markets are certified farmers markets renowned for diverse offerings of high-quality, delicious local products. We pride ourselves on activation of our farmers markets as educational tools for cultivating a healthy food system (see Education programs narative). At Foodwise we help make healthy food affordable through food access programs like Market Match, which doubles shoppers' CalFresh (food stamp) benefits at the farmers market,while directly supporting our local farmers. Since the pandemic the need for this program has tripled, as more families need assistance putting fresh, delicious food on the table. We also support early stage BIPOC food entreprenues through our Building Equity program, which offers business development resources and opportunities for these entrepreneurs to market-test and sell their products and build a customer base at our farmers markets. The goal of the program is to support business growth, economic viability, and asset-building for BIPOC entrepreneurs.