WeGo Market to Bring Fresh, Local Produce to Downtown Nashville
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WeGo Market to Bring Affordable Local Produce to Transit Center Through New Partnership with The Nashville Food Project and Cul2vate
A unique partnership between WeGo Public Transit, The Nashville Food Project, and Cul2vate makes fresh, locally grown food more affordable in the heart of downtown.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 6, 2026) - As grocery prices continue to challenge household budgets, a new partnership is making fresh, locally grown food dramatically more affordable for Nashville residents.
Beginning Wednesday, August 12, WeGo Public Transit, The Nashville Food Project, and Cul2vate will launch the WeGo Market, a weekly market at WeGo Central offering fresh, locally grown produce at deeply discounted prices. Designed to maximize access, affordability, and convenience, the market brings healthy local food directly to the city's busiest transportation hub, making it easier than ever for transit riders, downtown workers, and nearby residents to shop local on their way home.
The market will operate every Wednesday from 3:00–6:00 p.m. through November 18 on 4th Avenue North between the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central and the Municipal Auditorium, with free samples and recipe cards for shoppers.
"We want our community to have access to the best, freshest local produce at prices they can afford while ensuring our local farmers aren’t shouldering the cost," said Rebecah Boynton, Community Markets Manager at The Nashville Food Project. “Through partnerships like this, we're creating a model that supports local agriculture while simultaneously making quality food more accessible and convenient. That's good for farmers, good for families, and good for Nashville."
This market is part of a broader vision to explore how local food access can be integrated into neighborhoods across the city. By locating fresh food where thousands of Nashvillians already travel every day, shoppers can conveniently purchase healthy, local produce as part of their regular commute instead of making an additional trip to the grocery store.
"Public transit traditionally serves the community by connecting people to employment, healthcare, and educational opportunities. So it is exciting to partner with The Nashville Food Project and Cul2vate on this year's WeGo Market to expand that role and introduce new ways transit can support our neighbors in overcoming food insecurity," said Steve Bland, CEO of WeGo Public Transit.
Produce for the market will be supplied through a partnership with Cul2vate, a Nashville nonprofit that grows fresh food while providing workforce development opportunities for individuals rebuilding their lives. Through this collaboration, both organizations are able to make fresh local produce available at prices well below what shoppers typically expect to pay for locally grown food.
"The Nashville Food Project was the first organization to receive produce from Cul2vate ten years ago, making this partnership especially meaningful," said Joey Lankford, Executive Director of Cul2vate. "We're proud to work together to bring creative solutions to food access disparities by bringing nutritional food options right to the central hub of transit within our city ."
The WeGo Market reflects a shared commitment to creating more affordable, convenient food access through practical, innovative partnerships that connect people with fresh food where they already live, work, and travel.
Market DetailsWhat: WeGo Market
When: Wednesdays, 3 to 6 p.m., August 12 through November 18, 2026
Where: 4th Avenue North between the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central and the Municipal Auditorium
Address: 400 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and 417 4th Ave. N., Nashville, TN
Partners: WeGo Public Transit, The Nashville Food Project, and Cul2vate
Media Assets:
About The Nashville Food Project
The Nashville Food Project was born from the belief that all people should have access to the food they want and need. In pursuit of that vision, we bring people together to grow, cook, and share food, cultivating community and working to alleviate hunger across our city.
In Nashville, one in seven people lacks consistent access to enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle, while more than 40% of all food goes to waste. Hunger is not caused by a lack of food alone. It is shaped by systems. Poverty, unemployment, low wages, and rising housing costs all contribute to the challenges many of our neighbors face.
We believe food can be a powerful tool to foster health, belonging, and justice in our community. Through our kitchens, Community Agriculture Network, and partnerships across Nashville, we work to transform surplus into nourishment and connection.
In 2026, we will share more than 344,000 scratch-made meals and recover over 330,000 pounds of food, supporting after-school programs, immigrant communities, homeless outreach organizations, and many others across Nashville.
Grow — In ourgardens, we grow organic food intensively, and share resources with others interested in growing their own food.
Cook — In ourkitchens, we use recovered, donated and garden-grown food to prepare and cook made-from-scratch meals.
Share — In our community, we share nourishing meals in partnership with local poverty-disrupting nonprofits and community groups.
The Nashville Food Project embraces a vision of vibrant community food security in which everyone in Nashville has access to the food they want and need through a just and sustainable food system.
Media Contact
Esperanza Merritt
(615) 541-8225
communications@thenashvillefoodproject.org
