Families gear up for safety at East Boston Farmers Market event in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital
BOSTON, MA (July 31, 2025) – NeighborHealth, with the support of Boston Children’s Hospital, hosted a Children’s Bike Safety Day at NeighborHealth’s weekly East Boston Farmers Market on Wednesday, July 16 in Central Square Park.
The special event welcomed local families to a fun-filled afternoon designed to promote safe bike riding practices alongside their weekly farmers market shopping. In collaboration with NeighborHealth, Boston Children’s Hospital distributed and professionally fitted free bike helmets for children, underscoring the critical importance of safety on the streets. This initiative, part of #BCHinjuryprevention, ensures that young community members can enjoy cycling safely throughout the year.
“I spent the first 30 years of my life as a resident of East Boston and patient at what was then East Boston Neighborhood Health Center,” said Barbara DiGirolamo, M.Ed., CPSTI, Injury Prevention Program Coordinator at Boston Children’s Hospital. “To be able to work for an organization like Boston Children’s that allows me to give back to services I once needed growing up, makes this event one of the more special of the hundreds I work at each year.”
Families in attendance were entered into a bike raffle, where four children were thrilled to win brand-new bicycles, made possible by Boston Children’s Hospital and Excel Academy. The raffle winners were proudly announced by Dr. Julio Mazul, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at NeighborHealth, alongside Estevan Puerta, Director of Community Engagement at Excel Academy Charter Schools. Their presence underscored the strong leadership and community partnership that made the event such a success.
“At NeighborHealth, we strongly encourage our children and families to adopt an active lifestyle. Cycling is a fun activity, but more importantly, it promotes a healthy hobby. Promoting proper bike safety is also a part of keeping our community healthy and safe. Partnering with Boston Children’s Hospital has allowed us to make sure our community is equipped with the tools and knowledge to stay safe while having fun this summer,” said Dr. Julio Mazul.
NeighborHealth’s East Boston Farmers Market is held every Wednesday from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m through October 22, 2025, with hours adjusting to 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. in October, at Central Square Park in East Boston. This vibrant market hosts a diverse array of produce and prepared food vendors alongside numerous community essential services and children’s programing.
The market accommodates cash, debit, credit cards, and app payments, and also accepts WIC coupons, Senior coupons, SNAP/food stamps/EBT, P-EBT, and City of Boston Farmers Market coupons, which are available to eligible Boston residents in need of food assistance at the Community Resource Center at 282 Meridian St, East Boston.
For more information about NeighborHealth’s East Boston Farmers Market visit: www.neighborhealth.com.
