Food Access

Food & Health Fellowship

Each year, Eastern Market Partnership hires around 25 Food & Health Fellows who assume hands-on responsibility for running our Food Assistance operations, Farm Stand program, and other food access initiatives.

Food & Health Fellows serve as healthy ambassadors to over 12 weekly partner locations from mid-May through mid-October, while also learning about the challenges and opportunities of building a sustainable regional food system.

Fellows are responsible for purchasing, storing, transporting, displaying and selling produce at each Farm Stand site. The Fellowship program incubates participants in Michigan’s regional food system and engages them with food justice issues in Detroit.

Anyone interested in the Food & Health Fellowship can send a resume & letter of interest to Nicole Morba, Food Access Manager at nmorba@easternmarket.org.

Farm Stand

We operate 12+ mobile pop-up Farm Stands each week from mid-May through mid-October, offering fresh produce at sites all around Metro Detroit. Through partnerships with Detroit Community Markets, community development organizations, Downtown Development Authorities and neighborhood farmers markets, the Farm Stand seeks to promote a culture of wellness in the City of Detroit and Southeast Michigan.

Each Farm Stand is equipped to accept all currencies including cash, credit/debit, EBT, Double Up Food Bucks, WIC Project FRESH and Senior Market FRESH.

Full 2023 Farm Stand Schedule!

Detroit Community Markets

We work with Detroit Community Markets, a network of neighborhood farmers’ markets and alternative food distribution programs, to improve healthy food access in underserved areas in Detroit. Learn more at the Detroit Community Markets website. Learn more at the Detroit Community Markets website.

GROW Eastern Market

GROW Eastern Market (GEM) is Detroit’s locavore wholesale connection. The mission of GEM is to increase access to local produce by brokering farm-to-fork relationships with institutional buyers (chefs, restaurants, schools, grocery stores and other wholesale markets) to create and expand new market channels for Michigan’s small and emerging growers. We like to think of GEM as: DIRT. DOCK. DOOR. We start with locally grown and harvested fresh foods from Michigan farms, they are brought to our loading docks, and finally to your chef’s door… delicious!

For more information, visit Eastern Market Online and their Instagram page.

Contact Food Hub Manager, Reid Walborn, at rwalborn@easternmarket.org for questions.

Ways to Pay

We make the Bridge Card easy to use at our public farmer's markets. Bridge Card participants can receive more information about how to use their card at our markets at our Welcome Center, located between Sheds 2 & 3, or Shed 5 information booth.

Double Up Food Bucks matches your Bridge Card purchases dollar-for-dollar (up to $20 per day), giving an additional free $20 to spend on Michigan fresh fruits and vegetables.

Learn more at DoubleUpFoodBucks.org

Michigan farmers can accept WIC Project FRESH and Senior Project FRESH coupons from June through October at our Saturday and Tuesday market. Visits these websites to learn more: WIC Project FRESH and Senior Project FRESH.

Fresh Prescription

Fresh Prescription is a fruit and vegetable prescription program that brings together the healthcare system and the food system, fostering innovative relationships to build a healthy sustainable food system in Detroit. This promising approach to a healthier food system connects patients to fresh, locally-grown produce while providing direct economic benefits to small and midsize farmers.

Participants are referred to the Fresh Prescription program by their primary care physician. The clinician gives the participants a "prescription" to eat more fruits and vegetables and helps set goals for healthy eating. Patients fill their prescriptions at a partnering farm stand or with a food box delivery, where they also receive other educational support for making meaningful, healthy eating changes.

If you're interested in being involved or learning more, please contact Patrice Brown of Eastern Market Partnership. Read more details about the program here.