Message from Executive Director Stephanie Scherpf

Dear Friends,

We hope you’ve been well while we had to hit the pause button due to financial hardship brought on by the pandemic. It’s been a winter slog but we have great news to share – we are bringing back furloughed staff and reopening ROOTED Armory Cafe & Farmstand on Tuesday, March 2 as hoped! 

This is made possible in large part because of our community’s generosity, including critical COVID relief grants from the MA Cultural Council and the City of Somerville. Thank you to all who are enabling us to keep holding on so that we can continue to serve our community as a nexus of arts, cultural and community. 

We are going to need your continued support to keep going. If you would like to make a donation to Arts at the Armory, you can do so here. We are also counting on your patronage of ROOTED in order to stay open. Please plan to stop by frequently for delicious takeout menu items (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and coffee drinks made at our espresso bar), and groceries featuring produce, dairy and pantry items, and beer and wine. Order online so that your order is ready when you come in. Open hours are M – F 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sat 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. We know you’ve been missing our reinvented menu, and grocery featuring local and organic products!

Not everyone was hibernating during this period. Despite the challenges, we remained committed to hosting and managing the Somerville Winter Farmers in a different format due to the pandemic. I want to congratulate Somerville Winter Farmers Market Manager Emily Reckard-Mota, our 40+ SWFM vendors, and our crew of awesome volunteers who have been holding it down with 11 markets so far this season and 7 more to go. Each week, on average, we’ve had about 175 pre-orders; about 350 customers at the outdoor market; and about 30 SNAP/HIP customers. If you haven’t already experienced the Saturday joy and abundance of this indoor pre-order and outdoor in-person market, please visit the SWFM website to learn more. 

As we look towards Spring, we will be seeking to serve our community in new and innovative ways. Stay tuned for updates, to learn what we’re up to, and how you can engage with us.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Scherpf
Executive Director