Adams County Farmers Market’s Relocation Threatens Food Access in Gettysburg, PA

By: Isaias Martinez and Gissel Quechol-Raya September 24, 2021

Commercial Development and the Market

October 2021 will be the last time the Adams County Farmers Market operates in its current location. When looking for options to relocate, either Gettysburg College or the Recreation Park, vendors express their concerns about food access for citizens in the greater Adams County Area.

The Adams County Farmers Market (ACFM) takes place on an empty lot behind the Rabbit Transit station every Saturday. However, this will be changing as the market’s market has been purchased for $1 million by Timothy Harrison, a Staten Island Developer (Michael, 2021).

The market has until the end of their 2021 contract to use the space. So now they are seeking relocation at its top contenders: Gettysburg College & the Gettysburg Recreation Park.

The move of the ACFM is a crucial factor in addressing food access in Adams County. One of the most significant impacts is how certain groups of Adams County, based on demographics, are harmed or benefit from the relocation. The farmers market’s mission is to assist consumers in accessing fresh food while also creating a bond between agriculture and the community. 

The Case for the Recreation Park

The market’s current location allows the senior citizens to easily access the market and buy produce, but a relocation away from the senior citizens could hinder their diets. Location matters because not all senior citizens have easy access to transportation. Walking can be long-distance for them, and some cannot drive to places. 

Ben and Nick Mearns from the Mud College Farm Stand expressed their feelings on the relocation. They first agreed that the current location behind the Rabbit Transit station is the “best spot because it is at a walking distance from downtown, college students and senior citizens also have easy access to the fresh produce.” Next, both Ben and Nick Mearns expressed their beliefs about the relocation contenders. Claiming “Gettysburg College would be a better option because it has a larger parking lot. And that college students would make their business improve”. 

Scott and Tara Megos from Weaving Roots Farm acknowledged that the market’s current location is the best. They use all the programs that the market offers as a payment for their produce. An older couple was present, and Scott attended them, offering some simple recipes for their purchase. After asking them which location they preferred, they were stuck between both contenders as both locations provide many good things.

Although it has limited parking space, Tara Megos mentioned that moving to the Recreation Park would allow closeness to offer fresh food to the lower-income neighborhood. It was also mentioned that moving to Gettysburg College could offer a bigger space for more vendors. Thus, more customers and more people from Adams County’s outskirts also visit the market.

 

The Case for Gettysburg College

Historically, the market has become a place where low-income citizens can take advantage of many programs. These programs include SNAP Doubling, WIC Programs, programs with Wellspan, amongst others. These programs have been put in place to make the food at the farmers’ market more accessible for the lower-income citizens of the greater Gettysburg area. These programs have been made possible through funding from governmental bodies in the county and funding from local entities, making the local food access programs much more reliable and available.

Although these programs have been available for a while, that does not mean that they are taken advantage of. Unfortunately, people do not know about these programs, and additional help is needed from different organizations to conduct this work.

Healthy Options is a program that helps reach this gap within food access in the county by offering health education to the impoverished Gettysburg areas. This program, run by the Center for Public Service, has been crucial in bridging this gap between the impoverished and helping to get these food access programs in the market to flourish. 

An essential factor among this flourishing is the idea of the market’s centralized location, which is easily accessible by all people involved.

With the upcoming change in location, we look at the two options once more: Gettysburg College, a centralized location and landmark of Gettysburg along the same railroads, and the Gettysburg Recreation Park, which has most immediate access to the impoverished communities in Gettysburg.

So here we ask: Where would you move the market? Would it be the College or the Recreation Center?

Sources

Michael, Adam. 2021, July 21, “Adams County Farmers Market on the move. But Where? ” Gettysburg Times

Local. Adams County Farmers Markets. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2021.

Corrections

Corrections made on October 7th

Proper attributions were made to the interviewees. Hyperlinks were corrected to show proper and clear websites. Subheadings were added to improve the flow of the story. Finally, a grammar and structure review was made.