Heart of the City Farmers' Market

Over 20,000 customers a day rely on our 55 farmers to bring freshly-picked and reasonably-priced produce from local farms to a fresh food desert that lacks an affordable grocery store. Open year round, rain or shine, including holidays, our market is a popular shopping destination for low-income customers due to a convenient and accessible location above the busy Civic Center BART and MUNI stations, unusually long 10-hour farmers market days, and diverse farmers that have grown their operations over decades to meet the needs of a low-income neighborhood. Known as the most affordable farmers market in San Francisco, HOCFM attracts low-income customers from all over the City who spend more than $1 million each year at HOCFM using Healthy Food Purchasing Supplements and CalFresh. Over 70% of CalFresh benefits spent at San Francisco’s more than 30 farmers markets are spent at HOCFM. Since 2015, HOCFM’s Market Match program has distributed over $1,035,977 in incentives to CalFresh customers to drive produce purchases with an EBT card to support local agriculture.

Established in 1981.
Heart of the City Farmers Market is a uniquely independent, farmer-operated, nonprofit farmers market located year round on Sundays, Wednesdays, and now Fridays in San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza. An iconic and beloved community resource, the market opened in 1981 with a mission to support and sustain small farmers and make fresh food accessible for low-income customers who struggle to afford adequate nutrition in a city with the highest cost of living in the nation. We distribute over $1.5 million annually in food assistance at our information tent, provide education programs for people facing the nutritional challenges of poverty, manage distribution and redemption for the largest farmers market EBT program in California, and make over $500,000 per year in grant-funded incentives available to help low-income families purchase fruits and vegetables from local farms.

Kate C.
Manager
Thank you for supporting our farmers and helping us increase food access for our low-income neighbors.