At Canyons School District’s Title I schools, financial support is needed for the Tuesday Fresh Produce Markets.

“We’ve been able to get them going again after taking a break for the winter months,” said Jenna Landward, Copperview Elementary community school facilitator. “Over the course of 17 weeks in 2023, we distributed an impressive 16,000 pounds of fresh produce to 4,453 families.”

She said that is in thanks to the support from NBA Cares, Zions Bank and First Utah Bank. 

“The feedback from our communities has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the significant impact these markets have had in alleviating food insecurity and promoting healthy eating habits, especially amidst rising food costs,” she said. “As we look ahead to continuing this vital resource in the upcoming seasons, we are reliant on the support of our community. While grant funding remains crucial, private donations and community involvement are equally essential. We are currently accepting donations through successfund.com/communityschoolfreshproduce.”

The Tuesday Fresh Produce Market began in 2022. With a partnership from Get Healthy Utah, East Midvale initiated the program and served 35 to 50 families weekly, offering a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables at no cost. 

Now, it has expanded to Midvalley, Midvale, Sandy and Copperview elementaries and Hillcrest High School.

Landward said while the Utah Food Bank provides monthly mobile pantries and weekend food bags to send home with many students, the most noticeable food gap is an inability to provide fresh perishable food on a regular basis. 

“The fresh produce market is open to anyone. We provide about 50 to 60 bags of food each week at each location,” she said about the first come, first serve produce.

Families receive produce items such as bananas, apples, tomatoes, onions, spinach, beets and carrots. It costs $1,000 weekly to provide produce for 250 families.

The market is scheduled to conclude at the end of the school year.

“We hope to provide it again when school starts again in August,” Landward said, adding that the program is dependent upon community donations to keep it operational. 

Additionally, volunteers pack the food bags and manage the produce market, “which has been a great way to involve our community in the process,” she said. λ