Chicora Farmers Market opens in area of need

Lucille Hawkins liked the new Chicora Farmers Market so much, she went twice on the same day.

"It helps those who can't afford to go to places since we don't have a supermarket in this area," said Hawkins, who lives on North Charleston's southern end where there are no grocery stores.

She bought boiled peanuts and peaches and went back to buy a few more items from the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables at the corner of Success Street and Troy Avenue beside Live Oak Community Center in North Charleston.

"We need a grocery store, but this is nice to have here," said neighborhood resident Stephanie Smalls as she bagged three heads of cabbage to take home. "It's fresh, and it will save me a trip to the store."

The new market, a joint venture of Metanoia Community Development Corp., the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and local farmers, will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday through October.

The market accepts EBT/food stamp cards and WIC vouchers under a pilot program in the Agriculture Department.

"A lot of the people don't have transportation to afford to go 10 or 12 miles away to a grocery store," said Fred Broughton, a marketing specialist with the S.C. Department of Agriculture. "With the farmers coming here, it's a great opportunity for local families to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables."

Bill Stanfield, who heads Metanoia, said one of the items that came out of a community meeting last February was that local people didn't have a nearby supermarket.

With local farmers from Johns Island supplying most of the produce, almost all of the money spent will stay in the Charleston area, Stanfield said.

People with low incomes and nutritional risks go together, Broughton said.

"I hope it will provide strong nutritional opportunities," Stanfield said.

When the market opened Wednesday, it immediately lured several teachers and staff members from nearby Chicora Elementary School. A trickle of residents poured in after that.

Stanfield said the market will need to attract about 300 people each Wednesday to make it work.

"If they support us, we will be here," said farmer Robert Fields of Johns Island. "All they have to do is support us."

Reach Warren Wise at 745-5850 or wwise@postandcourier.com.