Free Food Pop-up Markets at UMBC

In September 2022, Retriever Essentials, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s food access program, experienced sudden and unprecedented demand for food resources. As the Program Manager, I responded to this need by developing new programs and partnerships for food distribution. One of these programs was the Free Food Pop-up Market.

To build this program, I sought partners whose missions and definitions of success overlapped with Retriever Essentials. I settled on three primary partners:

• AOK Library: UMBC’s library, with a vision of fostering social justice, provides space for this event, either outdoors or inside the loading dock during inclement weather. Additionally, library staff are enthusiastic about food access and provide hands-on support before and during the events.

• So What Else: A Baltimore-based food recovery program, So What Else scours the region for free food that would otherwise go to waste. They supply produce and dry goods for our event.

• Shriver Center’s Service Learning Program: UMBC’s Shriver Center Service Learning Program assists with recruiting volunteers for these events. This program is focused on service and ethical reflection.

Additionally, I developed a marketing plan for these events, relying on social media, UMBC websites, informational displays on campus, and word-of-mouth. Drawing on sociological literature about stigma and other social barriers that prevent people from accessing food resources, I used intentional language choices, settling on “free food pop-up market” rather than “pantry” or “food distribution” in marketing materials.

These events continue to grow in popularity and are currently attended by up to 250 students, staff, and faculty per week and have doubled Retriever Essentials’ food distribution capacity.