Five Points Community Farm Market

The Five Points Community Farm Market is a project of the Five Points Partnership, a 501-c-3 non-profit formed in 2001. The Partnership is a grass-roots community organization based in the Norview section of Norfolk. The Farm Market began as a community project in 2002 in a vacant lot across from Norview Middle School - with volunteers selling Rodman’s peanuts and 3 small growers offering produce. Today, the Market has grown into a thriving community center, employing nine part time Market Associates, offering local produce from over 40 area farmers, serving up healthy eats from the Get Fresh Cafe (which was taped in April for a segment of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) and grossing over an estimated $450,000 in 2010. The Farm Market offers a variety of workshops, such as how to make a rain barrel and starting a back yard garden; helps start community gardens (nearly 30 this past season!); offers special events such as the Spring Loaded Arts and Music Festival that provides a venue for local musicians and artists; show a variety of films related to sustainable living practices; and has created the annual Sustainable Living Fair which was held this past February at Old Dominion University. The Farm Market additionally plans to develop a Food Hub – which would serve as a clearing house for farmers to provide fresh, local produce not only to urban consumers, but to larger customers such as schools, hospitals and restaurants. The Farm Market’s plans for growth include not only the Food Hub, but a canning operation that would take visually unappealing, but perfectly tasty produce and develop value added canned products and employ additional workers from our communities. The Five Points Community Farm Market is determined to grow and provide good nutrition and healthy living for our South Hampton Roads communities.