For years, Maywood residents traveled miles to the nearest grocery store to find a healthy selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.
To help shorten their trips, Loyola University Health System and students from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have teamed up with the Village of Maywood Special Events Committee, Maywood Public Library, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners Program and community residents to run the 3rd Annual Maywood Multicultural Farmers Market.
The market will feature health screenings and exercise and cooking tips and will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Saturday, June 5 through Oct. 16, at the Maywood Public Library, 121 S. Fifth Ave., Maywood.
Since its inception, the farmers market has been a nutritional lifeline to the people of Maywood, an area that has high levels of chronic illnesses that are partially caused and worsened by poor eating and exercise habits. Until the recent opening of a grocery store on Fifth Avenue, Maywood was without a full-fledged market for 15 years.
"For years, Maywood residents had no access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which could help prevent serious, chronic health problems," said Lena Hatchett, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Stritch School of Medicine, one of the organizers of the farmers market. "We're proud that we were able to provide badly needed produce and we plan to do so for many more years to come."