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SF’s Brand New Free Grocery Store Opens in Bayview

The new 4,000 square-foot food empowerment market offers a wide selection of free groceries to residents who are experiencing food insecurity
By - posted 6/5/2024 No Comment

Today, Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Human Services Agency (SFHSA), and Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services celebrated the grand opening of the District 10 Community Market in Bayview-Hunters Point. The Market officially opens its doors to serve the community on Wednesday, June 5.

The District 10 Community Market., located at 5030 3rd St.,  is a brand new 4,000 square-foot food empowerment market that will offer a wide selection of free groceries to residents who are experiencing food insecurity in the Southeast corridor of the City. It will also connect families in the neighborhood to social services and serve as a community hub for resources and services.

SFHSA awarded Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services the contract to serve as the operator of the new market that will eventually support 4,500 community members.

“The opening of the Community Market in District 10 is a major step toward improving food access in a part of the City that has historically been a food desert,” said Mayor London Breed. “Equitable access to fresh and healthy food options is critical for communities to thrive and to ensure we take care of the City’s most vulnerable residents.”

SFHSA partners with community organizations to provide free and nutritious food assistance to San Franciscans who need it most. Food programming includes grocery vouchers, grocery distribution through community-based organizations, congregate and delivered meals for seniors and adults with disabilities, prepared meals for families, and community kitchens.

District 10 includes neighborhoods classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as food deserts, or areas that lack reliable access to grocery stores and food resources. Additionally, the 94124 zip code – which corresponds to Hunters Point – is one of the lowest income neighborhoods in San Francisco. The District 10 Community Market was modeled after food empowerment markets operating in two other major cities: Santa Barbara’s Unity Shoppe and Nashville’s The Store.

“Food Empowerment Markets, like the Community Market pilot that we are celebrating today, provide dignity and choice for people who experience food insecurity,” said Trent Rhorer, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency. “By offering families and people with dietary restrictions the ability to choose healthy and culturally appropriate food options for themselves, rather than receiving food boxes that may not be tailored to their individual food choices and needs, we minimize food waste while also providing a better experience for residents.”

The Market will serve community members who are low-income and meet all of the following criteria:

  • Be a resident of 94124, 94107, or 94134 zip codes
  • Receive public assistance, including programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs; or is otherwise low-income (as defined by earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level)
  • Have children in the household or have a diet-related illness
  • Be referred by a community organization in the Market’s referral network

“The District 10 Community Market will bring more dignity and choice to food distribution in San Francisco,” said Cathy Davis, Executive Director of Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services. “We are so grateful for all of the partnerships and support to make this dream a reality – it truly took a village to make it happen!”

In the last nine months, about 380 households made up of 1,500 individuals were served through the temporary grocery program at Bayview Senior Services’ Carroll Avenue location; these families are now immediately eligible to access the District 10 Community Market

The current participants reflect the diversity of the Bayview Hunters Point Community: 37% Latinos, 30% Black, and 25% Asian and Pacific Islanders. The majority of participating households (71%) live in the 94124 zip code and roughly the remaining quarter come from 94107 and 94134. The intermediary program offers services in a variety of languages; the most common spoken languages among clients are English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Samoan.

By June 2025, the market is expected to serve 1,500 households a month, and a corresponding 4,500 community members.

Read more at the Office of the Mayor