Boston Public Market Association to Host First Annual Harvest Party Fundraiser
Event Will Support Not-For-Profit Association’s Work to Engage Community Around Food and Create Opportunity for New England Farmers, Fishers, and Food Entrepreneurs
BOSTON — On Thursday, October 20, the not-for-profit Boston Public Market Association (BPMA) will hold its first annual Harvest Party, a special night for friends and fans of the city’s local food marketplace to savor and sip the best of New England and enjoy live music and engaging experiences, all while supporting the BPMA’s mission-driven work: to create opportunity for New England farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs; to provide fresh local food to customers of all income levels; and to educate the public about food sources, nutrition and preparation.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating our 40 vendors, a successful first year of operation, and exciting things ahead with a one-of-a-kind night that benefits our work to connect our community around the universal culture of food,” said Cheryl Cronin, CEO of the Boston Public Market. “We’re hosting this fundraiser to enable the Boston Public Market to continue to offer engaging community programming, from field trips for Boston Public Schools classes and free activities during school vacation weeks, to music programs with local colleges and galleries showcasing regional artists. Our goal is for everyone in Boston to have the opportunity to visit the Market and learn where their food comes from, in order to nurture a life-long understanding of and love for local food.”
Guests can purchase tickets by visiting the info desk at the Boston Public Market:
Chef’s Table
5:30-7 p.m. in the KITCHEN
Donation: $500 (includes a ticket to the Market Party following)
An intimate evening of local food, libation, and good company. Enjoy and learn about the best of the New England harvest around James Beard Award winner Chef Ana Sortun’s table and raise a glass and a fork to local farmers, fishers, fermenters, bakers, cheese makers, and specialty producers. Guests will be treated to innovative small plates, signature cocktails, local delicacies, and bites from Chef Sortun’s new cookbook, Soframiz. Each guest receives a copy ofSoframiz.
Market Party
7-10 p.m. in the Boston Public Market
Donation: $50
A unique opportunity to explore the Market behind closed doors. Jump in on interactive vendor demos to learn the tricks of their trade, sample your local food favorites, enjoy live music, and bid on raffle prizes from our vendors. Other features include:
- 2 alcoholic or soft drink tickets (with a cash bar available throughout the evening featuring local beer, wine, and craft cocktails and soft drinks)
- Shop the market and set aside items for tomorrow’s meal at a grocery valet
- Capture the evening at a farm fresh Market photo booth
All proceeds from the Harvest Party benefit the Boston Public Market Association, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that developed and operates the Boston Public Market with a public impact mission to support the farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs who grow, catch and produce local food, and to nourish our community with food and experiences.
“The Market’s opening was the culmination of years of grassroots activism and public-private collaboration based on a shared vision of the public value the Market would create for our community, city, and region,” said Brian Kinney, Board Chair of the Boston Public Market Association. “Now that the Market is open and our vendors are thriving, we’re focused on filling the Market with local food, experiences, arts, culture, and food programming, enhancing our economic impact while fostering an enduring civic space where all Bostonians can come to explore, taste, and learn.”
The Boston Public Market Association seeks to create economic opportunity for local small food businesses, especially farmers and fishers. The BPMA supports vendors through technical assistance, access to experts, coaching, and other resources. The opportunity created by the Market extends beyond the 40 Market vendors to the 80 New England farms, 500 New England fishermen, and more than 240 local small businesses in Market vendors’ hyper-local supply chains.
The BPMA strives to make the Boston Public Market accessible to all consumers. Market vendors accept SNAP/EBT for over 1,500 locally-sourced SNAP eligible products, and the Market is a participant in the City of Boston’s Boston Bounty Bucks program, which provides a dollar for dollar match, up to $10 a day, for SNAP customers to spend at participating farmers markets and the Boston Public Market. The BPMA provides vendor training on food accessibility programs, welcomes low-income customers with food accessibility benefits and community programming, and seeks to serve those in our community with the greatest need by donating all unsold food to food pantries, shelters, and other community partners. The BPMA created and runs a food rescue program with Market vendors and local food pantries that in its first year donated more than 27,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of over 22,500 meals.
The BPMA works to create a place our community can gather, learn about food sources, nutrition and preparation, and enjoy distinctly local cultural activities. The BPMA works to engage the community with free kids’ activities for school and community groups that introduce the diverse children of our community to food growers and makers and build healthy food habits, and with free art and music programs in the Market that support and promote local talent and cultivate the creativity of our community.