Ecmc Emergency Room

In the midst of the "food desert" of the East Side, where the nearest full-service supermarket is often miles away and the poor often subsist on what they can get from the local corner bodega, fresh fruits and vegetables are, understandably, often hard to come by. From a health-care perspective, that's bad news — and that's why, in 2010, the '''Erie County Medical Center''' launched this neighborhood farmer's market aimed at helping the residents of one of Buffalo's most economically deprived neighborhoods to improve their dietary habits. Much more than just a half-dozen or so vendors of fresh produce, prepared foods, and artisanal goods, the ECMC Farmers' Market is also a place for fun and educational events with an overarching theme of promoting a healthy lifestyle — there's everything from ''tai chi'' demonstrations, to dance and cooking classes, to seed and plant giveaways for those who want to try their hand at gardening. Food trucks are on hand for those who work up an appetite browsing through the greenery.