Mo’ Betta Green Marketplace has been providing wellness and food education in Five Points, the heart of Denver’s historically Black and Latino neighborhoods, since 2010. The market was created to improve access to fresh, affordable, and organic food in communities shaped by redlining, displacement, and food deserts. Alongside its produce stands, the marketplace offers free cooking classes, dietary counseling, emotional wellness support, and movement sessions like tai chi, yoga, and Zumba. All produce comes from Seeds of Power Unity Farm, with growing sites in Cole, Uptown, and Northeast Park Hill. Grocery stores are scarce and chronic illness is common in these neighborhoods. The work of both market and farm is about more than food – it’s about restoring health, community connection, and land lost to generations of systemic exclusion. Together, they help Denver residents reclaim not just access to food, but power over their own well-being.
Led by founder Denver native Beverly Grant, and supported by two full-time staff and 15 dedicated volunteers, Mo’ Betta Green Marketplace and Seeds of Power Unity Farm operate year-round to serve neighborhoods across the metro Denver area, from Five Points to Green Valley Ranch. Each summer, the organization hires 25 local youth, ages 14 to 24, to maintain farm plots, staff weekly markets, and build relationships through hands-on engagement. Team members also include culinary instructors, herbalists, movement teachers, artists, and organizers – many of them community members employed in roles that reflect both cultural knowledge and practical expertise. The marketplace hosts regular events that blend food access with creative expression, featuring live performances and opportunities for shared learning. Through every growing season, the organization transforms vacant lots into productive farmland, offers job training and health services, and ensures that the people most impacted by food inequality are the ones leading the way toward lasting change.
Volunteers at the Mo’ Betta Greens Marketplace. Photo: Mo’ Betta Greens