Signs it’s summer in Greater Boston: Kayaks and canoes can be seen on the Charles and the Mystic, as Paddle Boston opens up for rentals; Woodmans and the Clam Box are serving up fried seafood on the North Shore; and Food For Free is gathering hyper-fresh produce from our local farmers’ markets.

This summer, we’re pleased to welcome Boston Public Market’s Dewey Square Farmers Market to our farmers’ market rescue program. Food For Free will be collecting fresh produce straight from the farmers once a week at Dewey Square along with other markets in the area.

At the market winds down each day, Food For Free’s Food Rescue Coordinators visit each farmer present, offering to collect any food that has not been sold. Farmers decide whether and what to donate, and every day, our team goes home with fresh, seasonal, local vegetables. The donated food is either distributed that evening, or else stays in prime condition in our coolers until the following day when we take it to local food pantries, shelters, or meal programs.

“Every week, we bring fresh fruits and vegetables from our own fields to farmers markets in the Boston area,” said Stephen Violette From Dick’s Market Garden, who has donated food to Food For Free at several area farmers markets for several years. “We’re pleased to help Food For Free provide fresh healthy food to families and individuals most at risk of hunger.”

“Farmers markets are wonderful because they offer local, fresh, high-quality food and allow shoppers the opportunity to support local farmers, but what many people aren’t aware of is that they are also an important resource for fighting hunger,” said Sasha Purpura, Executive Director of Food For Free. “We’ve been rescuing food at various farmers markets in the Greater Boston area for most of our forty year history, and we are thrilled to partner with The Boston Public Market Association to rescue fresh, local food at the Dewey Square market and give it to our neighbors who are in need.”

Food For Free rescues from a number of markets each year, including Central Square, Copley Square, Arlington Farmers Market, Davis Square in Somerville, and Belmont Square.

We distribute the food we rescue to dozens of food programs in Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, and Watertown, among other communities. In the last year, Food For Free rescued 2.5 million pounds of food distributed nearly 5 million pounds of food helping to feed more than 30,000 people.

“We’re so grateful for the support and efforts of Food For Free’s food rescue team to get the fresh, nutritious food from the market into the hands of those that need it most,” said Cheryl Cronin, CEO of The Boston Public Market Association. “After a very difficult year, we’re so excited to be open again at Dewey Square with no capacity or sampling restrictions, and we’ve tripled the amount of vendors that we had in 2020. We look forward to offering people in Boston access to fresh food from local farmers all summer long, and helping to fight hunger in the process—it’s a win-win for all.”

The Boston Public Market is an indoor, year-round marketplace featuring about 30 New England artisans and food producers housed under one roof offering fresh foods, prepared meals, crafts, and specialty items. Everything sold at the Market is produced or originates in New England, as the seasons allow. Additionally, the Boston Public Market runs the outdoor seasonal farmers market at Dewey Square on The Greenway (Thursdays, June-November) featuring local producers and artisans.