As a golden sun illuminated the orange falling leaves, local farmers set up buckets of grocery items — from broccoli, squash and frozen meat to smoked sea salts and pasta — for Islanders to pick up at no cost.
What began as an immediate response to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts from the federal level blossomed into the second free food market this month, with nearly a dozen participating farms and an estimated 100 attendees. This is the second and last event planned of its kind.
For organizer Meg Athearn of Morning Glory Farm, who set up the first free market with just her own farm’s produce and a surprise donation of frozen meat from Slough Farm, the influx of participants this time was staggering — in a good way.
“The collaboration [with other farms] is pretty awesome.… There’s a lot more people and a lot more variety, for sure,” Athearn said on Monday afternoon as she bustled around the Agricultural Hall porch with an empty container in hand to fill with Morning Glory carrots.
Athearn’s efforts were complemented by 11 other Island food organizations — Milkweed Farm, Slough Farm, Fielder Family Farm, the Garden Farm, Beetlebung, Island Bee Honey, MV Sea Salt, Martha’s Vineyard Pasta, North Tabor Farm, the Fisherman’s Preservation Trust, and Blackwater Farm. And the spread was plentiful as a result. There were fresh vegetables, pantry items, and coolers full of frozen goods laid out across the Ag Hall’s front porch.
“The collaboration of giving amongst farmers felt fantastic. Many farmers let me know what they were bringing and others just showed up and dropped off donations,” Athearn said in a follow-up interview with The Times. “I am grateful to the Agricultural Society for hosting the event [and] very grateful to Marnely Murray for getting the word out Island-wide. Helping others fills my cup, so this event was right up my alley.”
Owner and operator of MV Sea Salt, Heidi Feldman said she didn’t hear about the event in time to participate a few weeks ago, but this time, she knew she wanted to be a part of it.
“I brought MV Sea Salt and my salty attitude,” Feldman joked as she processed onions with Athearn’s son, Zeb.
While many farms dropped off their produce, Feldman stuck around to help Athearn and Zeb with the operation. Dozens of locals at a time were moving through the line, filling paper bags and canvas totes with various goods. Bins were running low quickly, and the Athearns and Feldman moved in fast to fill them.
“The support of the community means everything,” Feldman noted. “Give and get.”
When federal funding cuts started affecting supplemental food programs like SNAP and HIP (Healthy Incentives Program), Athearn was not alone in organizing initiatives to keep Islanders from going hungry. Restaurants across the Vineyard posted on social media about free meals and people were posting on the Facebook page “Islanders Talk” with offers to help those hit by the freezing of funds.
Since the government reopened and SNAP funding resumed last week, recipients should have received their funds on their EBT cards (the debit-like cards used for SNAP and HIP money). But changes to the program through the Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by the Trump Administration in July, are continuing to unfold. Officials are directing enrollees in the program to look to state guidance since some adjustments involve recipient participation — like new work requirements.
Food initiatives like the free farmers market made a noticeable local impact at a time of uncertainty. The executive director of Slough Farm, Julie Scott, said the farm usually donates produce they don’t use for programming, and they will continue to do so.
“This seemed like a great way to potentially reach folks who maybe don’t receive our food through our normal outlets.… We have really amazing food equity partners who receive the food, but we always try to shift when needs shift,” Scott said of her participation in both free farmers markets. “It felt really awesome to see all the products from our Island farmers on the porch yesterday and be part of that group of growers.”
