Opening an oasis inside food desert

Weekly farm stand now offers fresh produce in Montopolis neighborhood, where healthy food options have been limited.

After being diagnosed with endometriosis a few years ago, Alicia Martinez of Austin eliminated dairy and gluten from her diet. She’s more mindful of the food she consumes, but that’s been challenging to do on a tight budget.

Martinez, 32, clips coupons and scours the city for deals on fruits and vegetables in order to keep her chronic illness at bay. On Friday afternoon, though, Martinez loaded up her canvas shopping bag with spinach, beets and radishes at a newly launched farm stand in the Montopolis neighborhood.

The farm stand at the Central Health Southeast Health and Wellness Center, 2901 Montopolis Drive, is part of the city of Austin’s Fresh for Less initiative, which provides local and fresh produce at reduced prices. It’s operated by Farmshare Austin and will be at the health center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday.

In an area where fast-food restaurants abound and limited healthy food options exist, the Montopolis neighborhood’s farm stand aims to encourage healthy eating and living.

“It’s not your typical farmers market,” said Elizabeth Marrero, program director at the Central Health Southeast Health and Wellness Center. “We have people who can educate shoppers.”

Everyone who works at the farm stand speaks both English and Spanish and all the signage is in both languages. Dietitians are available to speak with shoppers, and adult students from the health center’s cooking classes offer samples of such dishes as quinoa and kale salad that are healthy and easy to prepare.

Buda resident Lisa Muñoz credits what she’s learned from the health center’s free cooking classes with helping with her retinitis pigmentosa, a disorder that affects vision. Muñoz gave farm