When the Belmont Farmers’ Market kicked off for the first time 20 years ago, it wasn’t quite the event it is today.
“It started out more focused on farms, and we’ve added prepared foods and non-food items over the years,” said Hal Shubin, chair of the market committee. “We’ve added the community tent where local nonprofits come in and talk to folks. We have office hours for local officials.”
An event tent with music has also been added, as have a number of tents for a variety of local artisans. Police and fire officials now host a Public Safety Day—a local favorite—and local librarians and book sellers host storytimes. In the event tent, musicians of all ages are invited to perform. Each week, through the POP Club, kids can sign up to get $3 in market money each week to buy any fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants they want.
“It’s really a lot of fun on a Thursday afternoon,” Shubin said.
Running every Thursday through October, the market kicks off for its 20th year on June 5 at 2 p.m. in the Belmont Center parking lot, the same place it began two decades ago.
“I always look forward to 2:01 p.m. on opening day,” Shubin said. “We ring the bell at 2, and once we’re open, we’re open. We start planning in December. It’s a lot of work to organize all the different things we do. It’s nice when it finally comes together, especially if it’s a nice sunny day.”
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This year’s opening day will be marked by a food drive from the Belmont Food Pantry, and remarks from the market’s founder, Heli Tomford, as well as Shubin and second chair Suzanne Johannet, Select Board member Taylor Yates, and a number of other elected officials.
New vendors this year include Butternut Bakehouse and Ovenbird Cafe.
Through the Years
While the market has always been in the same location, its footprint expanded due to the COVID-19 pandemic to accommodate social distancing. With the Select Board’s approval, it has remained at its expanded size.
“Looking back, we count shoppers through the day so we can get an idea of how busy we are and the shopper count, I think, has more than doubled since 2019, 2020,” Shubin said.
Another area in which the market has changed is its ability to offer food assistance to shoppers in need. This year, for the fourth year in a row, the market will kick off with a food assistance fair, welcoming representatives from various local and statewide organizations who can help residents sign up for food assistance benefits.
“The idea is … also to let people in Belmont know there is food insecurity here,” Shubin said. “There are a little over 700 households in Belmont that are getting [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits, and certainly there are others that could apply and get those benefits.”
In 2011, the market started matching SNAP benefits up to $25. In other words, if a person comes to the tent with $25 on their SNAP card, the market will give them $50 in market tokens. The market also doubles Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons.
In 2024 alone, the market provided $57,400 toward food assistance, according to Shubin.
“That’s the amount we stretch people’s food budgets,” he said. “We want to support local farmers; we want to support local food producers. We want to support people, too, to be able to take advantage of this great local food.”
With cuts to the state Healthy Incentives Program, which provided over $28,000 in food assistance to shoppers last year, the Belmont Farmers’ Market is asking people to support its emergency food assistance fund to make up the difference. According to a market press release, the HIP benefit was always $40 to $80 per month (depending on household size), but in December, it was cut back to $20 for everyone.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary this year, shoppers can participate in a new “Know Your Market” game all season. And during National Farmers Market Week, the first week in August, a special anniversary party is planned.
“Heli Tomford was the person who started the market … I met her when we were both on the Board of Library Trustees,” recalled Shubin. “The goal was to come up with something that people could walk or bicycle to. … The idea was to create a community event and you see people running into friends and having conversations.”
The weekly event has “really grown” since those early conversations, according to Shubin.
“It really is a community event where people get together,” he said.