Arcadia's Mobile Market -- Hendley Elementary

Arcadia’s Mobile Market at Hendley Elementary pairs a school-site stop in Washington, DC with the work of a nonprofit focused on building regional food systems “from the farm forward”. Arcadia describes itself as a National Capital Region organization grounded in equity and guided by history, with programs that connect land, food, and community health. That mission matters here because this is not a standalone retail market; it is one stop within Arcadia’s broader food-access and education work, hosted at Hendley Elementary at 425 Chesapeake Street SE. For shoppers, the result is a market shaped by public-service goals as much as by weekly sales.

Why it matters locally

Hendley Elementary’s mobile market stop sits inside Arcadia’s larger effort to create sustainable, just, and regenerative food-access solutions in the National Capital Region. Arcadia says the Mobile Market serves low-food-access neighborhoods and accepts and doubles the face value of SNAP, WIC, and Senior FMNP benefits, with service aimed at neighborhoods where SNAP usage is high and car ownership is low. That gives this stop a clear local purpose: bringing produce access closer to where families already gather, rather than expecting shoppers to travel farther for it.

Arcadia also ties the market to education and workforce development. Its programming includes public and in-school food, agriculture, and environmental education, while the organization’s Veteran Farmer Program is designed to develop new farmers and encourage entrepreneurship and job creation.

What you'll find there

The emphasis here is less on a roster of named independent vendors and more on Arcadia’s own farm, food-access, and farmer-training network. Expect the market’s offerings to reflect an organization that grows food, grows farmers, and runs mobile distribution in low-access neighborhoods.

• -Arcadia Farm supplies food through the organization’s demonstration farm and broader food-system work.
• -The Veteran Farmer Program develops new farmers and encourages entrepreneurship and job creation.
• -Mobile Market stops are part of Arcadia’s food-access programming in low-food-access neighborhoods.

Arcadia’s wider programming includes Farm Camp, Field Trips, and public education offerings tied to food, agriculture, and the environment.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed at this Hendley Elementary stop, so that detail may change plans before you head over. The market is hosted at Hendley Elementary, 425 Chesapeake St SE in Washington, which makes it a school-based pickup point rather than a traditional plaza-style market setup. Restrooms are not available on-site.

If you need help before visiting, Arcadia lists Akio Lloyd as a market manager and provides a main contact phone number of (571) 384-8845 along with the email info@arcadiafood.org. Arcadia’s broader programming also suggests this stop is connected to a larger organization with farm operations, education staff, and mobile market management, including Andrea Neal as Mobile Market Director and Juan Pablo Echeverria as Outreach and Education Manager.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted here, and Arcadia says its Mobile Market doubles the face value of SNAP, WIC, and Senior FMNP benefits at stops in low-food-access neighborhoods. Payment details are presented clearly for visitors, which is useful at a mobile market where shoppers often need to know ahead of time how benefits can be used.