Down these green streets: as farmers' markets grow, more people of color are getting a healthier bite of life.

On any given Saturday morning between the months of July and November, the members of the Lower East Side Girls' Club won't be found sleeping in or talking on the phone like their peers. Instead they are up early selling baby lettuces, sweet peaches and crunchy granola to their mostly low-income Manhattan neighbors. The 15 members of the recreational organization run a successful summer farmers' market, which is proving to be an indelible staple in the community. Shoppers come from blocks away to experience the fresh produce, fragrant pies and warm spirit the market offers.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The nine-year-old organization launched its market, located on Houston Street and nestled between the Jacob Riis and Baruch Housing Projects, in 2002. "We started the farmers' market with a grant from the USDA," says Lyn Pentecost, the Club's executive director. "One of the main reasons was because we were very concerned with the state of our girls' health." In 2002, among female youth, the highest overweight and obesity prevalence is found in black and Latina girls, ages six to 11 (37.6 percent and 22.2 percent respectively), and black and Latina adolescent females (45.5 percent and 26.6 percent), according to the American Obesity Association.

The girls, who range in age from 14 to 18, are mostly Latina and black, and from the nearby housing projects. Their Girls' Club not only teaches them about the importance of living a healthful life, but it also gives them a much-needed outlet that keeps them off of the streets and out of trouble. Working the farmers' market instills a sense of pride in themselves and for their community. They also receive a stipend for their labor. "These girls are actually running the market and building relationships with the farmers," says Bob Lewis, of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The Girls' Club market is unusual but not alone. A similar market, called Added Value, is run by young black men in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It sells everything from Japanese eggplant to snap peas. "There are not too many [groups] doing this because it's about community service: bringing fresh produce to underserved communities that are perceived as unsafe or too poor by the larger markets," says Pentecost. "This requires an insider's perspective and willingness to work alongside the farmer all day, introducing him to friends and neighbors."

Farmers' Market Growth