New Roots - Fresh Stop Markets
New Roots is a 501c non-profit organization. Our mission is to ignite community power for fresh food access. Fresh Stop Markets—New Roots’ main initiative—are run by Sponsoring Organizations in a grassroots food justice movement that operates from the belief that fresh food is a basic human right. New Roots is the learning HUB, mentoring, consulting, and sharing the use of our New Roots Fresh Stop Market mobile smartphone app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh Stop Markets are volunteer, community-driven, farm-fresh food markets that pop up bi-weekly at local churches, community centers and businesses in fresh food insecure neighborhoods. We partner with Sponsoring Organizations through our New Roots Mobile Smartphone App and help them create or further a partnership between their organization, community leaders and shareholders as well as local farmers.
A Sponsoring Organization can be a nonprofit, a business, hospital, or any other organization that wants to replicate Fresh Stop Markets in their community. New Roots is actively searching for Sponsoring Organizations. Please email Karyn.moskowitz@newroots.org for more information.
A share is a bounty of fresh, local, all organic and chemical free, seasonal vegetables and a mix of local, organic and conventionally grown fruit purchased by Fresh Stop Market participants (shareholders). A share consists of 6-9 varieties from local farmers. Pricing is based on a sliding scale, usually between $6 and $40. There is a small fee assigned for the credit/debit card transactions. With our Fresh Stop Market model, everyone gets the same seasonal, organic, chemical-free, delicious local produce no matter what they pay. Everyone pays two weeks in advance of the market, and sets up recurring payments. That means no risk for farmers, no waste or guessing, and wholesale prices for the community Sponsoring Organization. You will see the sliding scale when you go through the set up process on our New Roots mobile app, during signup.
Go to the App Store (iPhone users) or Google Play Store (Android users) and download the “New Roots Fresh Stop Market” mobile app. Through the app, your community Sponsoring Organization uses an automatic, recurring payment system. This way, you are only charged for one share up front, and then your card is debited the day after you pick up your share (for the next market).
When you sign up, and share your address, the mobile app shows the markets near you. You can then choose your market location (on the mobile app) to pick up your fresh fruits and vegetables. You can always change markets mid-season if you’d like.
Shares come from local farms throughout your area.
Fresh Stop Markets depend on volunteers to help create, operate and maintain the markets. These are the community’s markets. Shareholders are encouraged to volunteer during and after the growing season. Without volunteers many markets wouldn’t be able to operate, and we wouldn’t have a grassroots movement to be proud of. You can volunteer to be a veggie cheerleader, deliver shares to a neighbor, pack share bags, check in your fellow shareholders, and/or to set up and break down the markets.
Donations cover operational costs including helping to find grant opportunities for and with new Sponsoring Organization partners, the ability to offer financial help to build markets where needed, as well as keeping the app up to date, offering app support, new app features and of course paying our staff a living wage. We are still a small grassroots organization that continues to lead in the fresh food justice space on a small budget.
Some Sponsoring Organizations do run Fresh Stop Markets to operate year-round. However, farmers are often limited by the growing season and resources. In the off season we encourage Sponsoring Organizations to organize Community Food Justice Workshops and the Fresh Stop Training Institute (FSTI)
When communities fail to support our local farmers, we end up with food from large, industrial, profit-driven farms where practices are questionable. Keeping small farms in business supports the local economy, ensures farm workers are treated right, and offers locals a chance to get affordable, organic and chemical-free food.
Yes the mobile app allows you to skip shares, but please check with your Sponsoring Organization for their specific protocols. Our model helps farmers have a consistent income and picking schedule. You can cancel your share at any point in the season on the app.
Yes, no problem. Just tell them to give us your name at the check-in table.