(from left to right) Jeff Grassie, Nate Robertson, and Christine Fusco

In this episode of Gateways, Tracy takes us to Haverhill where we hear how a farmers market has transformed personal and public health through food, fun, and community connections. Market founder Jeff Grassie and Nate Robertson of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission walk us through the market and describe how they turned one produce vendor into a weekly downtown marketplace in an under-used parking deck just a 10-minute walk from the Haverhill train station. We also hear from market-goers and meet Christine Fusco of Anna Jacques Hospital, who shares how the hospital’s sponsorship of the farmers market is helping fight substance use disorders and the opioid epidemic.

Show Notes: The following websites have more information about the market and the programs mentioned in this episode.

• http://teamhaverhill.org/projects/community/haverhill-farmers-market/ 
• https://www.ajh.org/persist 
• https://www.larcheusa.org/who-we-are/communities/boston-massachusetts/