With new videos and a building ramp, Waterbury Common Market works to serve more people
July 16, 2026 | By Sarah Andrews | Correspondent
New videos in English and Spanish highlight how the Waterbury Common Market works. Screenshot
To better serve the community’s growing and changing needs, Waterbury’s free source of groceries is investing in new features that staff hope will bring more people through the door.
This week, the Waterbury Common Market added two new videos to its website and social media – one each in English and in Spanish – that offer a step-by-step look at what shoppers will find at the market and how a visit there works.
“I think it'll be a really good way to reach new people and let them know it's easy to come here. There aren't any barriers,” said market Director Sara Whitehair. “We make it as easy as we can, because people need food.”
Former market manager Arielle Edelman demonstrates a shopping trip for the video. Screenshot
Last fall, the market received a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Foodbank to help make improvements aimed at broadening the market’s reach and connecting and serving more community members.
One step has involved updating its communications to include Spanish along with English – on signs and labels in the market, on social media, and now with the new videos that offer a virtual visit to the market.
Some items such as refrigerated and frozen foods have quantity limits noted on the shelves. Screenshot
Whitehair says that the market is serving a growing population of South American shoppers and adding Spanish is helping to bridge a language barrier. In recent months, Whitehair also has been focusing on stocking more culturally appropriate foods in addition to making sure signage and messaging are displayed in both English and Spanish.
“We serve a lot of South American folks here, and there are a lot of things we felt we could be doing to serve them better,” Whitehair said.
The foodbank grant was put to use last fall to convene several focus groups of shoppers, including South American community members, to ask for feedback and suggestions for improvements. “We asked them to be really honest,” Whitehair said. “We wanted to hear their ideas.”
Shoppers can select an unlimited number of produce items. Screenshot
The goal was to better understand the needs of those who visit the market and how to make food more accessible to all members of the community.
In addition to offering a wider selection of food items, the market was able to invest in some new electronic devices and software to help with translation and communication.
Using the Vermont Foodbank grant, the market also commissioned Vermont filmmaker Allie Rood to produce a video explaining how the market works and, as Whitehair put it, “why we do what we do.”
The video was produced in both English and Spanish and is now available on the market’s website. In under four minutes, the videos take the viewer through the market, from filling out a form as a new visitor to checking out with a grocery order.
Whitehair said the aim for the videos is to reach more people in the community and demystify the market’s mission and process, so more people get the food they need for their families.
That’s an ongoing process, especially for new people who come to the communities that the market serves: Waterbury, Duxbury, Bolton, Middlesex, Moretown and Stowe. Despite the market’s roughly two-decade history – it was known as the Waterbury Area Food Shelf until 2023 – “people don’t know about us,” Whitehair said.
The market is open to all local residents, she stresses, whether it can help provide needed food just once or occasionally, or on a regular basis. “We’re always working to get that across,” she said.
Getting more shoppers inside
Screenshot
In addition to addressing growing multicultural needs, the market for the past year has been looking to improve its physical accessibility with plans to add a ramp to the exterior of its building at 57 South Main Street. Whitehair said the permitting process took much longer than expected, and now the goal is for construction to happen this fall. The property’s driveway was recently widened as part of that project, she said.
Although the market is on the first floor of the building, there are several steps that either prevent or make it difficult for someone in a wheelchair or with a walker to easily enter the market. Customers with accessibility issues can ring a bell, and a volunteer shopper gathers their order to meet them at the door. Those who are homebound can also call to request an order for a friend or family member to pick up or for the market to deliver if needed.
Local retail stores such as Shaw's and the Village Market share bakery items with the Common Market. Screenshot
“We definitely want to be a community resource that people can call on to get food when they need it,” Whitehair said.
Adding the ramp, Whitehair said, will give more community members autonomy. “It's great if people can come into the store themselves, choose their own food, and get what they need,” she said.
All of these improvements come as the demand for food at the market is growing. On average, the market has been serving over 200 visitors per month this year. Visits in January were up 185% compared to 2025, she said.
“Every month, we’re signing up new clients,” she said, noting another 13 were added last month.
Waterbury Common Market runs on donations, and for the first time this year, it received $5,000 from Waterbury taxpayer funds approved by the voters at Town Meeting. Whitehair then explained that reductions in federal food programs have driven some of the increased demand. January’s 210 shoppers were the most in one month in the four years Whitehair has been director.
“We are really lucky to have a really great town that supports us,” Whitehair said.
Market items include fresh produce, canned goods, and household items such as paper products, detergents and common drugstore items. Food items come from donations and purchases from the Vermont Food Bank. Screenshot
Hours and a local alternative
The Waterbury Common Market is open 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, Friday, and Saturday; Wednesday hours are 3-6 p.m. Contact: 802-244-1561 or email wafsmainstreet@gmail.com.
The market also notes that local residents have another free grocery source with hours that are different from the Waterbury market. The Green Mountain Community Food Shelf in Duxbury is a smaller operation, located at 4987 Vermont Route 100 in the basement of the Green Mountain Community Alliance Church. Its hours are Sundays, noon to 2 p.m., and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon. The Duxbury site serves anyone in Vermont and offers shelf-stable goods, fresh produce, frozen meat, linens and more. It has a Facebook page @Green Mountain Community Food Shelf. Contact: 802-234-3944 or email GMCfoodshelf@gmail.com.