Hungry Harvest launches affordable farmers market at Duke Medical Campus

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A new farmers market from Hungry Harvest called Produce in a SNAP has launched on Duke's Medical Campus.

Hungry Harvest is a company that delivers fresh, rescued fruits and vegetables or produce that isn't perfect enough for grocery stores but is still perfectly good.

"We really believe food is medicine," explained Hungry Harvest CEO Evan Lutz. "We believe eating healthy can prevent a lot of diseases and aid in the healing process. That's why we wanted to be at a hospital."

Third-year medical student Jackee Okoli spearheaded the farmers market and made the call to Hungry Harvest.

"We have med students, nursing students, undergraduate students, people who work in the hospital, physicians who are picking up bags of produce for their patients," Okoli said. "I think this is an example how the community can come together and support each other through this produce."

Okoli said she saw the need for an affordable farmers market outside of the program that can provide a free bag of produce every other week for food insecure patients.

The produce Hungry Harvest provides would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. "We're on a mission to fight food waste and hunger," Lutz said.

Produce in a SNAP Farmers Market will be held Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. next to Duke's Cancer Center. The market features a variety of fruits and vegetables that are about 50 percent cheaper than grocery store prices. Bags are priced at $7 and cash, credit, or SNAP/EBT are all accepted.