As a resident Pediatrician working in the Children’s Hospital Oakland Teen Obesity Prevention Clinic, Jenifer Matthews grew increasingly frustrated with her patient’s lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables. So she decided to open a Farmers’ Market across the street from the hospital. Two years later, with the help of her husband, Zac Matthews (MB/I Web developer) and two Guerilla produce activists, Phat Beets Produce, North Oakland Food Justice Non-Profit was born http://www.phatbeetsproduce.org. The collective now runs two medical clinic based farmers’ markets, a youth-run school farm stand and nutrition hub, and a youth market garden in partnership with a local hospital obesity prevention program.

Phat Beets is an entirely volunteer run organization and relies on community support to continue to make positive change. Learn more at www.phatbeetsproduce.org. Please consider making a donation for the holiday season www.phatbeetsproduce.org/donate.

Phat Beets will also be launching a CSA ‘Beet Box’ program in January 2011, providing a weekly box of fresh organic produce for subscribers and subsidizing ‘Beet Bux’ farmers’ market vouchers for obesity-clinic patients and their families.

Phat Beets Produce - The Birth of Fresh

About us:
We are a food justice collective. The collective was started in North Oakland in 2007 as a guerrilla produce stand in a North Oakland park. We now support two medical clinic based farmers’  markets, one youth led school farm stand and community nutrition hub, and a youth market garden in partnership with a local hospital obesity prevention program. As a collective, we strive to support social businesses and small farmers/farmers of color.

Our mission:
Phat Beets Produce aims to create a healthier, more equitable food system in North Oakland through providing affordable access to fresh produce, facilitating youth leadership in health and nutrition education, and connecting small farmers to urban communities via the creation of farm stands, farmers’  markets, and urban youth market gardens.