The ONEgeneration Encino Farmers Market draws up to 1,300 shoppers each Sunday. Proceeds fund free services for more than 10,000 older adults and children across the San Fernando Valley.
Every Sunday morning in Encino, up to 1,300 residents walk through the gates of the ONEgeneration Encino Farmers Market. They come for organic produce, street food, and live local music. The market also funds free services for thousands of older adults and children across the San Fernando Valley.
The market has operated since 1978 and now sits on a 7-acre intergenerational campus that brings together toddlers and seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia.
The Encino Farmers Market is run by ONEgeneration, a nonprofit that provides free services to more than 10,000 older adults, children, and families each year. Proceeds from the market support two senior centers, meal delivery to homebound older adults, and a combined senior and childcare center.
"It is our hope that the Encino Farmers Market continues to provide access to local, fresh produce and goods to our community, while supporting the various programs and services at ONEgeneration, which serve over 10,000 older adults, children, and families each year," said Natasha Levy, the manager of the farmers market.
Thirty-two years ago, ONEgeneration founders looked at a vacant seven-acre lot on their premises and decided to fill it with vendors. There was no existing farmers market in the area, and the organization saw a community need.
"We decided to create a farmers market because the opportunity was there. There wasn't a current market in that location. And there was a need," said Jenna Hauss, president and CEO of ONEgeneration.
The market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine. It features:
Hauss said the market benefits growers, shoppers, and the most vulnerable residents in the community.
"The Encino Farmers Market brings value not only to our local farmers and growers, but also to our local community, including those more vulnerable and underserved," Hauss said.
The market takes place on ONEgeneration's JOY campus, short for "Joining Old and Young." The intergenerational shared site houses children ages zero to five alongside older adults with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The program is designed to create relationships that reduce ageism and build empathy across generations.
The commitment to shared adult and child care is at the center of ONEgeneration's mission, according to Hauss. The market's financial success has made that model possible.
This article was generated with AI assistance.