Innovative Market Concept Brings Healthy Food to Food Deserts and Benefits Local Farmers
A groundbreaking new community food initiative has taken root in the heart of Phillipsburg. On June 26, 2025, Norwescap celebrated the grand opening of the Fresh Stop Market at 403 South Main Street—a vibrant, community-centered marketplace designed to increase access to healthy, local food while supporting regenerative farms in Northwest New Jersey.
The market, open three days a week—Thursday, noon–7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.—offers affordable fresh produce, dairy, meats, bread, and pantry staples. Shoppers can purchase in-store at the market like a conventional grocery store, or subscribe to a biweekly farm share containing 6–8 seasonal fruits or vegetables sourced from local farms. More than 100 people had subscribed before the doors even opened.
Norwescap is partnering with New Roots, a nonprofit that developed this cooperative economic model and the app that powers the work, and the Foodshed Alliance, a nonprofit that works to increase access to healthy local farm food, while helping local farms thrive and protecting natural resources. The nonprofit C.R.O.P.S. began the Fresh Stop farm share project in Atlantic City earlier this year utilizing the same model and app, and has been an ally with teams meeting regularly sharing ideas and best practices.
Designated a “food desert” by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Phillipsburg is home to over 13,800 residents who face limited access to affordable, nutritious food. The Fresh Stop Market store will soon offer SNAP recipients Double Bucks incentives for free fruits and vegetables. The Fresh Stop Market’s farm share program offers a sliding-scale pricing model, offering four tiers to ensure everyone can participate: $8 for SNAP/EBT recipients, $15 for limited-resource households, $27 for standard-income households, and $42 for food-justice shares that help subsidize others. No matter what customers pay, everyone receives the same quality share every two weeks.
“Fresh food in downtown Phillipsburg is hard to come by,” said Phillipsburg Mayor Randy Piazza, Jr., one of the first subscribers. “A unique service like this helps fill that void. Keeping it local and bringing local products to a food desert is truly a remarkable endeavor.”
The Foodshed Alliance supports the Fresh Stop project by connecting it to farms to supply the food, which is purchased at fair prices from small-scale regenerative farms, including Cabbage Throw Farm, Two Barn Farm, and Old Village Farm. This innovative approach guarantees farmers reliable revenue, creating a stable market that aligns with the Foodshed Alliance’s mission to build resilient farm economies.
While Norwescap manages the market, Foodshed Alliance’s Food Access Director, Christine Parauda, plays a pivotal role in cultivating local farm partnerships, working to invest in local farmers who make food justice an integral part of their business.
“The launch of the Fresh Stop Market represents the culmination of thoughtful planning, collaboration, and a shared vision for a more equitable and community-rooted food system,” said Parauda. “This milestone reflects countless conversations with local farmers, deep listening within the community, and the trust built among its dedicated partners: Norwescap, New Roots, and the Foodshed Alliance. From securing funding to developing a sustainable sliding-scale model, every step of the process has been guided by the voices and needs of both farmers and families. This cross-sector way of working combines our unique strengths helping cultivate something new and exciting that will benefit and strengthen the entire community.”
The opening of the Fresh Stop Market featured products from 15 local farms and remarks from community leaders and partners including Norwescap CEO Mark Valli; Lisa Weber, Senior Director, Food Security and Health Equity, Norwescap; New Roots Executive Director Karyn Moskowitz; Joe Atchison, NJ Assistant Secretary of Agriculture; Congressman Tom Kean’s District Deputy Director J.D. Bryden, and the Foodshed Alliance’s Parauda.
“We are addressing food insecurity by bringing food to folks who are struggling on a daily basis,” said Valli. “We know they are struggling because we’re seeing the numbers of our sister food pantries going up. We are up 65% from where we were just over two years ago.” Future plans for the market include cooking demonstrations, health screenings, and recipe cards to help customers make the most of their farm shares and market purchases while building community and wellness.
The Fresh Stop Market supports several goals of the Foodshed Alliance: increasing food access for all, strengthening regenerative farms by increasing demand and guaranteeing fair prices, developing new local food infrastructure in underserved communities, and fostering resilience by bringing together farmers, nonprofits, local officials, and residents. “For us at the Foodshed Alliance, the Fresh Stop Market represents the kind of solution we’re committed to cultivating: one that is rooted in local food, powered by equity, and built through authentic community partnerships,” said Ruth Perretti, Foodshed Alliance Board President.
“By investing in farmers through fair purchasing and making farm shares accessible through thoughtful pricing, this program closes the gap between those who grow the food and those who need it most.”
Community members are encouraged to get involved. Shop the Fresh Stop Market in Phillipsburg, subscribe to a farm share through the “New Roots Fresh Stop Market” app, donate to support accessible pricing and operations, and help amplify the story of food equity and farmer sustainability.
For more information, visit Norwescap.org/Fresh-Stop-Market, NewRoots.org or FoodshedAlliance.org.
