Need some groceries but can’t make it to the store this weekend?

Make your way down to E. 38th St. and Pine Ave. to Mercyhurst’s newest “green” initiative, a weekend farmers’ market.

Mercyhurst College and the Southeast Hills Neighborhood Watch Group recently began a partnership to offer a farmers’ market to local citizens on the northeast corner of East 38th Street and Pine Avenue.

The farmers’ market is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Oct. 17.

About five to seven local farmers come to sell their produce and goods each week.

In addition to their produce, Mercyhurst offers produce it has harvested from the new sustainable garden at Mercyhurst’s West campus.

The garden project was spearheaded by ‘Hurst alum Bob Merski, Dr. John Campbell, Executive Vice President for Administration Tom Billingsley and Dr. Chris Magoc, with assistance from the Mercyhurst Green Team.

"The neighborhood farmers’ market is very much in keeping with our mission to advance sustainability both on our own campus and in the community. Buying locally grown organic produce is one of the most important things we can do for an environmentally sustainable future,” Magoc, Mercyhurst’s Green Team adviser, said.

During spring and summer the garden has been harvested to raise an assortment of produce using sustainable methods, like chemical-free fertilizer.

“As a Mercyhurst alum, these are the principles I was taught – having a sense of community and practicing sustainability,” Merski said. “This is a good thing to do."

Some of the produce the Mercyhurst stand sells are tomatoes, potatoes, beans, herbs, corn, peas and peppers.

“These fruits and vegetables are not only tastier and better for you than the stuff shipped across the country, but [they] also generate far fewer greenhouse gas emissions to get to your kitchen,” Magoc said.