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Sutter Health’s Partnership Strengthens the Midtown Farmers Market’s Role in Regional Food Access

December 6th, 2025

Midtown Association is grateful to partner with Sutter Health, whose support helps ensure that the Midtown Farmers Market remains a vibrant, reliable, and accessible source of fresh food for the Sacramento community. By helping to maintain and grow the Market, Sutter Health plays a key role in expanding its reach and strengthening the infrastructure needed to serve more residents year after year.

The Midtown Farmers Market is a cornerstone of regional food access, providing a consistent place for families to purchase fresh, locally grown produce. Since 2017, more than 18K EBT transactions have been processed at the Market, and its operations have generated $17.5M worth of local economic impact. The Market’s recent expansion to a sixth block added significant space for agricultural producers, creating even more opportunities for local farms and increasing the availability of affordable, seasonal options for shoppers.

While programs that increase food purchasing power for low-income households such as Market Match, CalFresh processing, and WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) are carried out through dedicated partners like Alchemist CDC, the ability to successfully offer these programs depends on having a strong, well-supported market environment. Sutter Health’s investment helps make that possible by ensuring the Market has the stability, operations, and vendor capacity required to host these services and support the more than 40 local producers who participate in them, connecting them to the community.

Farmers’ markets nationwide play a proven role in increasing access to nutritious foods in communities they serve, especially when incentive and benefit programs are present. Studies show when CalFresh, Market Match, and WIC benefits are redeemable at markets, participation increases and families can purchase more fruits and vegetables, improving both food access and public health outcomes. These impacts only grow when markets have the space, outreach, and operational strength to support them.

Sutter Health’s commitment contributes to that foundation in several important ways:

  • Supporting a stable and accessible Market environment
    Their partnership helps ensure the Market remains a weekly, well-resourced community gathering place, critical for families who rely on consistent access to fresh produce.
  • Enabling capacity for food access partners
    By strengthening Market infrastructure, their support allows organizations like Alchemist CDC to operate benefit-processing programs efficiently and to connect more residents with tools like CalFresh processing and Market Match incentives.
  • Creating room for more agricultural producers
    The expansion increased booth space and improved layout, giving more farmers the opportunity to sell directly to Sacramento households and widening the variety of fresh foods available.
  • Advancing long-term community health
    A strong farmers market brings together access, education, and local agriculture, supporting broader community well-being, aligned with Sutter Health’s mission to improve community health beyond clinical care.

 

Together with Sutter Health’s partnership, the Midtown Farmers Market continues to strengthen its role as a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible food resource for Sacramento.

Grab your grocery list, reusable bag, and furry friends, and we’ll see you on Saturday! For more Midtown Farmers Market information, click here or follow along on Instagram: @MidtownFarmersMarket