New Brunswick Community Farmers Market to Open July 10

WHAT:

Speakers will include Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick; New Brunswick City Councilman Jimmie L. Cook Jr.; Douglas Fisher, N.J. secretary of agriculture; Yvette Jackson, mid-Atlantic regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service; Colleen Goggins, worldwide chairman, Johnson & Johnson consumer group; and Robert Goodman, executive dean of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Spanish-speaking representatives will be available.

178 Jones Ave., New Brunswick, near intersection of Georges Road and Sandford Street

BACKGROUND:

The New Brunswick Community Farmers Market is being launched this month on the border of Rutgers’ Cook Campus adjacent to residential neighborhoods with support from Johnson & Johnson. It will be operated by Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station and open through early fall. The market will provide local residents a convenient location to purchase affordable and nutritious produce grown in New Jersey. The market also will offer programs on nutrition and food preparation by consumer educators, activities for children and crafts by local artisans. It will offer an array of foods that appeal to the diverse community. The first 500 customers who visit the market will receive free, reusable grocery bags.