Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market brings produce, specialty foods to city

As vegetarians, Kimberly and Francisco Peters agree that it can be difficult acquiring farm-fresh produce in the City of Poughkeepsie. 

But browsing the vendors at the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market, Kimberly Peters said the new city-based farmers market has plenty of potential.

"We're big into organic foods and supporting our local farms," she said. "It's very exciting, and we hope this market lasts."

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The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market opened for the season Monday at the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, bringing meats, fruits, vegetables and specialty foods to an area where many residents don't have access to fresh produce. The market will open every Monday from June through October.

It's the city's status as a food desert, a low-income area with low access to food, that inspired the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum to open the market, said executive director Lara Litchfield-Kimber.

"This really was a natural extension of what we've been doing in terms of educating people and families about healthy eating," she said. "There are plenty of people without access to fresh food in the city, including many families."

The neighborhood surrounding the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, as well as much of the City of Poughkeepsie, is classified as a food desert, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2015.

Tracts of the city are classified as low-income, in which the poverty rate is at 20 percent, or the median family income does not exceed 80 percent of the state family median income; and low access, in which it is more than one mile to the nearest supermarket or large grocery store, according to the USDA.

The market will feature farm-fresh produce and meats, with vendors including Dutchess Outreach's Poughkeepsie Plenty Fresh Market and Hudson Valley Seafood, as well as specialty products, such as Oliver Kita Chocolates and maple products from Soukup Farms.

For Jennifer Soukup, owner of Soukup Farms in Dover Plains, the market serves as an alternative for people who can't make it out to the stores.

"This is a great opportunity for people to get to know their farmer and buy local," Soukup said.

As a student at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New Windsor resident Katherine White said the farmers market is an easy stop heading home from the culinary school.

"I've been checking out more of the local markets since I prefer to have fresh produce on hand," she said.

Litchfield-Kimber plans to introduce the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infants and Children program to the market, providing additional ways for residents to pay at certain vendors.

For Mayor Rob Rolison, the market serves as a step in the right direction in solving the food desert issue in the city.

"It could be frustrating, but it's necessary to look for the solution," Rolison said. "We know the bounty is here in the Hudson Valley — it doesn't need to be brought in. We just need to ensure that people are able to get access to it." 

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW

If you go

What: The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market

When: 4-7 p.m., every Monday June through October

Where: Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, 75 N. Water St., Poughkeepsie

Information: Find more information online at facebook.com/POKWaterfrontMarket.