Why the Oak Park Farmers’ Market is closing and what comes next

Stott said declining attendance and fewer participating farmers made the market unsustainable.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Oak Park Farmers’ Market in Sacramento is shutting down, leaving weekend shoppers to find a new place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables this summer.

Organizers say the decision comes down to cost and turnout. The Food Literacy Center announced the closure in an online video message, ending the market’s most recent three-year run.

“This is not a decision we take lightly,” said Amber Stott, CEO of the Food Literacy Center.

Stott said declining attendance and fewer participating farmers made the market unsustainable. She said operating costs reached nearly $10,000 per week while the market served about 40 EBT customers.

“When customers aren’t showing up to participate in a program, it usually means we are not offering the right solution to the problem,” Stott said. “Difficult decision to close the Oak Park Farmers Market,” she said.

The original market was paused in 2022 while organizers searched for a new host and received a $500,000 state grant to help bring it back. The Food Literacy Center took over operations in 2023, running the market on Saturdays from mid-May through the end of October.

For Oak Park residents, the closure hits especially hard in a neighborhood long described as a food desert. Albert Mungin said access to nearby groceries is already limited.

“It’s sad to see these type of things go away,” Mungin said. “It is a little bit of a jog for the next supermarket,” he said.

Neighborhood leaders say the end of the market does not mean food access efforts are stopping. Adrian Rehn, a board member with the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, pointed to existing options and continued partnerships.

“Rancho San Miguel, which has good prices and fills part of the food desert gap, but there are still large swaths of Oak Park that don’t have good access to food. That is part of why we are excited to continue to work with food literacy center. They still have some funding to deploy in the Oak Park neighborhood,” Rehn said.

The Food Literacy Center said donations will now be redirected toward expanding elementary school cooking and nutrition programs, along with food distributions. Stott said the shift will allow the organization to help more families in a more cost-effective way.

Organizers said farmers, funders and the Oak Park community have already been notified. While the market is ending, staff will remain with the Food Literacy Center, shifting roles to reach more elementary school students.

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