The market hosts weekly free food recovery events to support the local community
By KATYA OKS — city@theaggie.org
Every weekday, from 9 to 11 p.m., the Davis Night Market sets up their stand and hosts a free food recovery in Central Park in Downtown Davis.
The night market defines itself as “an environmentally sustainable community-based food recovery organization,” and they work with local businesses and community members to “recover both cooked and non-perishable excess food, and redistribute to the community,” according to their official website.
Some of the local businesses that are partnered with the Davis Night Market include Chickpeas Kitchen, Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, Davis Food Co-op, Panera Bread, Village Bakery, Capay Farms, Noah’s NY Bagels and Peet’s Coffee.
Max Morgan, one of the three community coordinators for the Night Market, explained how they work directly with businesses.
“We’ll approach local restaurants, grocery stores or really, almost anyone to try to get food,” Morgan said. “We also have people that know us and approach us when they have food. So, good example, there’s a woman I know from Buy Nothing, who helps out with a cardiovascular conference. And, every year when they have it, they reach out to the market to give us the excess food.”
The organization is entirely run by volunteers from Davis, who are responsible for setting up the market, planning events, partnering with businesses and aiding community members. The night market is built not only to work with businesses in minimizing their own food waste but also to create a more equitable environment that provides food security to the Davis community.
Connor Gorman, one of the volunteers at the Davis Night Market, expressed the importance of the organization’s role in creating a stronger community with its mutual aid mission.
“[The] Night Market is a very open and welcoming space,” Gorman said. “Everyone is welcome to come and both get food and other material things that are being given away, if needed.”
Gorman also discussed the diversity of the community.
“There’s obviously a lot of students because of the university, [and] there’s also a lot of unhoused people and low-income people,” Gorman said. “But, there’s also, like, people who are neither students nor low-income who still are here, because it’s a welcoming space for everyone to just come out and mingle and cohabitate and socialize.”
Dragos Zaharescu, a volunteer at the Night Market, also reiterated the importance of a diverse community.
“It’s cool to also hang out with people that normally we marginalize in society,” Zaharescu said. “You get to learn from their life stories, you know, and their past, their passion, the steps in the future they want to take. I think it’s good for them to find a space, a community, that doesn’t mistreat them, look down at them or anything like that. Here, we share resources, we exchange memories.”
The Davis Night Market also “strives for a non-hierarchical, anti-racist operating structure steeped in the ideals of radical inclusivity and climate change awareness,” using the organization as a way to hold space in support for the Davis community in response to the current political climate, according to their website.
One of the volunteers, who wishes to remain anonymous, highlighted the work of the Davis Night Market on Jan. 20, providing a community space of reflection and mutual support in light of Trump’s inauguration.
“The whole area was just filled with people making soup and hanging/handing out clothes and distributing literature and all the food that we have,” the volunteer said. “We had a ton of food that night, and we had the heating station and water, […] all these beautiful things and pride flags — just everything that the community wanted to see out. It was a hard night, I think for a lot of people, but seeing that brought a lot of joy, and hearing the reactions afterwards, I think that was really memorable.”
Cadrick Odysseus, another volunteer for the Night Market, mentioned the importance of UC Davis students not only getting involved with the Night Market but also allowing themselves to be inspired by their events and actions.
“A constant theme that I hear is there seems to be a great deal of dismay, especially with the political climate that’s going on, and a degree of hopelessness,” Odysseus said. “It plagues everybody, and now more than ever, we are disconnected from each other.”
Odysseus suggests the idea of taking part in what he called “water stations” in which people would bring two air pots filled with cold and hot water, instant ramen packs, tea bags and more, and then set up a station in a public space.
“You can reach out to people on the street who need it the most,” Odysseus said. “You can reach out to people just on a cold call, and to strike up a conversation that way. I would highly recommend, during these times, to continue to find ways where it may not be the loudest protest, but it’s certainly some form, where you can occupy space, particularly a public space, […] and that’s pretty powerful.
More information and events organized by the Davis Night Market can be found on their official website and social media platforms.
Written By: Katya Oks — city@theaggie.org
