A new farmers market is set to begin just west of downtown Des Moines near the Oakridge Neighborhood. The Center Street Farmers’ Market is scheduled to run from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays from June 8 to Sept. 14. It will be located on Oakridge Drive between 15th Street and Keosauqua Way. Oakridge Neighborhood is facilitating the market to help improve access to fresh produce for those in the neighborhood and others in the community. Vendors will be selling produce, eggs, dairy products, meat, baked goods, health smoothies and juices, and hair and body care products, among other items. The market will accept electronic Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cards and Double Up Food Bucks. According to a news release, community partners will also be available to share information and resources. The name of the Center Street Farmers’ Market is a nod to the nearby Center Street Business District that was a bustling, vital part of the lives of African Americans in Des Moines until freeway construction and urban renewal projects brought an end to the area by the late 1950s.

Iowa Stops Hunger is a yearlong Business Publications Corp. initiative to bring awareness and action to food insecurity in Iowa. Read additional stories on Iowastopshunger.com.