On a Friday afternoon in late October at the Echo Park Farmers Market, activity among multiple vendors in the sparsely populated parking lot just off of Sunset Boulevard is feeling a bit slow. Fall is usually slow, several vendors said, but lately it’s felt almost like each season is slower than the last.

Farmers' markets impact local communities, offering fresh fruits and vegetables to people who live in areas with limited access to them. Jennifer Grissom is executive director of Food Access LA, a nonprofit organization that manages eight local farmers' markets. The organization is in its final week of fundraising to support some Los Angeles farmers markets that have seen a decline in sales. 

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Eight farmers markets across Los Angeles County could be shutting down and are now counting on private donors to help them stay afloat.

The markets’ business model relied heavily on government grants, including roll-outs from the pandemic, which have now been used up. 

A non-profit called “Food for Access LA,” which manages the markets said in order to stay open they would need to raise $12,000 a month.

Years before Whole Foods was a household name, or Erewhon became an paragon of influencer cool, there was the Hollywood Farmers' Market on Ivar and Selma avenues. Like so many of Southern California staples, this venerable institution is struggling to stay afloat.

When the Hollywood market started in 1991, there was just a handful like it in California. The intervening three decades saw explosive growth in people's appetite for clean, healthy food — and the places that cater to the new outlook.

Food Access LA, an operator of eight farmers markets around the city, including the prominent Hollywood, Echo Park, and Atwater Village markets that supply numerous restaurants, says they are at risk of shutting down due to funding shortages. Previously called SEE-LA, the organization also runs farmers markets in Compton, Watts, Crenshaw, Central Avenue, and the L.A. River, providing vital locally-grown produce to underserved communities. Though over 50 percent of funding for these markets comes from government grants, executive director Jennifer Grissom is asking the community for additional support of $12,000 a month.

Farmers' markets in Los Angeles run the gamut from demure to glamorous. From the celebrity chefs in Santa Monica to the tourists crowding Third and Fairfax to those who simply can’t find fresh produce in their neighborhood. “In huge swaths of Los Angeles, it’s generally easier to get a bag of Hot Cheetos than a head of lettuce,” Pompea Smith wrote in a Los Angeles Times editorial almost two decades ago. Smith was the founder of Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles, the non-profit known today as Food Access L.A.

Alys Martinez reports from Crenshaw, where the beloved Farmers' Market is looking for help to stay afloat as operating costs continue to rise.

Food Access LA, the nonprofit organization behind a network of farmers markets in Los Angeles, announced this week that several of its locations may face closure without immediate financial support. The organization, known for providing fresh, local produce to underserved neighborhoods for over 30 years, is urging community members to join its Monthly Donor program to help sustain the markets on its donation page as part of its Fall Donation Drive. 

Jennifer Grissom, tells KNX News' Karen Adams that if they can't make up the difference, L.A. will lose a vital staple, especially in underserved communities.

"It really hurts your heart to know that those communities that need those markets the most are the ones that are at the most risk," Grissom said.

Food Access LA, which runs the Echo Park and seven other markets, is struggling in the post-pandemic economy, said executive director Jennifer Grissom. While government grants cover more than half the costs, the organization needs about $12,000 monthly in community support.

Food Access LA is raising the alarm about the potential closure of the beloved Echo Park and Crenshaw Farmers Markets. These markets, which have been serving our community for nearly 20 years.

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The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Food Access LA, and Creative Mind Mapping teamed up for Mental Health Awareness Month by bringing a new initiative to farmers markets around the city.

The shiny teal pickup truck that gleams in the parking lot at Earle’s on Crenshaw. The maze-like Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, where a cozy dessert shop and stylish restaurant hide behind multilevel parking garages. The 780-foot-long “Great Wall of Crenshaw” mural that depicts key points and figures throughout Black history.

At farmers markets, you often get produce with higher nutritional value and greater flavor. Now through an online portal, you can order for pick-up or home delivery.

The juice is stocked and the grills are hot at the Watts-Willowbrook Farmer's Market, which reopened Wednesday for the first time since the pandemic.

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It is early in the morning, but the farmers have been up earlier — even before dawn, packing their trucks, driving to L.A. and preparing for a busy Hollywood Farmers’ Market day. Some have traveled from as far as Fresno.

Every Thursday, people come to the Central Avenue farmers market at E. 43rd Street in downtown Los Angeles to find fresh produce from local growers – bright red tomatoes, vibrant broccoli and crisp cauliflower. The prices might discourage some low-income customers from shopping there, but this market is different.

Even in a city as expansive as Los Angeles, you get a small-town feel when you stroll through a farmers’ market. Over time, the freshly-baked-bread vendor might remember your name, and you’ll always find at least a few kids crowding by the berry stands, hoping for a taste of the sweet locally grown strawberries.

The Crenshaw Farmers’ Market serves the Angeles Mesa, Hyde Park, Leimert Park, View Park/Windsor Hills, and Baldwin Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Market correspondent Gillian Ferguson speaks with Marie-Elise Recasner de Marco, who has managed the market for years and is now in its third week at its new location in front of historic Fire Station No. 54. The market experienced several moves since it opened in 2005.

Fruitful Collaboration Benefits All at SEE-LA’s Atwater Village Farmers’ Market

For the past 12 years, vibrant laughter, smiling faces, sun hats and babies in strollers have graced the corner of Glendale Boulevard at Larga Avenue on Sunday mornings. The Atwater Village Farmers’ Market— run by the nonprofit organization Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA)—offers a sense of home to its guests.

Established in 2006, the Echo Park Farmers’ Market has flourished and become one of the most popular attended markets in Los Angeles. This weekly hosted event gathers 15 local farmers every Friday to line up their assortment of goods, from fresh fruits and veggies to baked bread to handcrafted decor.

The market is open at 3 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m. on Logan St., at Sunset Blvd. Guests can park at 1147 Echo Park Ave.

Los Angeles is home to many farmers markets, from Brentwood and Mar Vista to Hollywood and Silver Lake.

Spend one of your mornings at an outdoor market, gathering all your week-long grocery needs, fresh from the source and reasonably priced. Be sure to arrive early to score seasonal fruits and vegetables and hormone-free animal products from local vendors.

Walking through the Compton College Farmers Market on opening day, Adriana Regalado Aguilar loves checking out all the fresh produce. The Compton native recently earned two associate’s degrees while juggling work as a nurse’s assistant.

“Sometimes it’s stressful, especially focusing on school and being a full-timer, even a part-time student, nutrition is key,” she said.

When visiting Los Angeles, the Hollywood Farmers’ Market is an experience you can not miss!