Executive Summary



Farmers on the Square & Project SHARE

Farmers on the Square, (FOTS) is a farmer run, seasonal market that operates in downtown Carlisle, PA since 2009. The vendor’s farms must be within 50 miles of Carlisle. Carlisle's downtown square is a traditional location for a market. FOTS is the first market on the square in over 50 years. The market is producer only, which means everyone who sells food at FOTS grows, raises, or makes from scratch the products they sell. There is a 9-member market board, which is comprised of farmers and other local community members. There is also a part-time market manager position. The vision of the FOTS board is to sustain a vibrant, welcoming marketplace in which a community of producers and consumers nourishes our regional food shed by celebrating superb and diverse agricultural products that reflect integrity. The number of visitors who attend the outdoor seasonal market ranges from 300 to 600 adults on a market day. The winter indoor market attendance ranges from 150 to 250 adult visitors. The Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) access program became available at the market in 2010 season. Project SHARE (Survival Help And Recipient Education) is an interfaith cooperative effort, begun in 1985, involving over 66 local congregations, schools, and civic organizations. Contributions of food, money, and volunteerism provide essential basic assistance to more than 1000 families each month. This grant is a collaboration between Project SHARE 501c(3) and Farmers on the Square 501c(6). Project SHARE is serving as a fiscal agent for this program.



Initiating incentives to use food and nutrition access programs at FOTS will allow the market to provide fresh, local, and nutritious products to consumers of all socio-economic levels in greater Carlisle, Pennsylvania region. Furthermore, this program will make the Farmers’ Market more affordable in comparison to other sources of food such as grocery stores, convenience stores, and superstores or big box stores such as Walmart. Along with decreasing cost barriers by matching money consumers spend with food and nutrition access programs, this program will include outreach and marketing, as well as an educational component. The outreach and marketing facet of the grant involves working with local organizations that serve the lower-socio economic populations of Carlisle in order to form appropriate and successful strategies to work with low-income communities, and build relationships with community members. The educational programming will provide individuals and families with interactive ways to learn about Farmers’ Market products and utilize food purchased at the Farmers’ Market based on varying personal needs. All the aspects of this program come together to form a well-rounded approach to health and nutrition access within our local food system.

This collaboration is asking for a Level 1 grant from CHAWF of $25,000 to implement this program in Carlisle, PA. This project aligns with CHAWF goals of improving health and wellness within the Carlisle community and focusing on populations within the community that are impacted most by economic barriers or lack of access to health and nutrition.



Statement of Need



Background on Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs



The USDA began issuing commodity vouchers to supplement the diets of low-income Americans in 1939. Since then the programs have greatly changed. The Food Stamp Program was converted to an Electronic Benefits Transfer system in the 1990s.  The switch from paper coupons to EBT was completed nationwide in 2004 (USDA, 2010). The Food Stamps Program was renamed by Congress in 2008 and is now know as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (USDA, 2012). SNAP is utilized and redeemed by residents across the United States at many different food stores, including farmers’ markets. Beginning in the early 2000s the USDA began encouraging Farmers’ Markets to accept and support Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs. This requires a Point of Sales (POS) Machine to accept SNAP access cards. This infrastructure also allows for Farmers’ Markets to accept debit and credit cards. All of these payment options are then exchanged for tokens at farmers markets throughout the US to be used only at the Farmers’ Market.



In total, there are three Nutrition Assistance Programs that can be used at the Farmers’ Market. One is the SNAP access card, and the other two are, Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) and Senior, Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs. Both of these programs still use paper checks that are accepted by the Farmers’ Market vendors directly. The increased use of these programs brings more customers to Farmers’ Markets and increases the revenue of local Farmers’, some of which utilize these programs themselves. Expanding payment options provides the opportunity for a wider range of consumers to make purchases at the market. This provides greater access to fresh, healthy, and nutritious products, while also supporting community organizations and local farmers. However, compared to other food sources, costs are often higher at the Farmers’ Market then other entities that accept Food and Nutrition access programs. The higher prices reflect the smaller scale of production and the quality of the food products available at the market. This is an additional barrier to consumers of lower socio-economic levels. Therefore, an incentive program should be initiated in order to further the accessibility of Farmers’ Market products for consumers using these access programs.



Incentive Programs- “Double Up Food Bucks”

In order to encourage the use of access programs at the farmers’ market the cost barrier must be broken. Many Farmers’ Markets have begun incentive programs to increase access use by matching a certain amount of access dollars that are used through the programs mentioned above. This means that if a consumer wants to use $10.00 at the market, the program would match their ten dollars so they actually could spend $20.00 on market products. This is a dollar for dollar matching program for up to $10.00, which means that consumers using access programs will have double the spending power. Incentive programs make shopping at the farmers’ market a much more affordable experience then before. Thus the program has successfully broken down the cost barrier, making the market more accessible to consumers that were not able to shop at the market previously because they could get a better price elsewhere. More consumers can now have access to sustainable, healthy, and nutritious market products.

There are many examples of Farmers’ Markets that are already implementing these programs with great success. These programs can be found across the country and current analysis of many already provide evidence of successfully increasing use of Farmers’ Markets by lower-socio economic populations. In many cases the number of people using SNAP at Farmers’ Markets doubled or tripled since bonus incentive programs were created. The Pilot programs that have been started at other markets in the US indicate that incentives can result in a major change in the buying habits of low-income families. This seemingly small incentive can provide a significant increase in food assistance buying power. One of the many successful pilot programs is “Double Up Food Bucks”, which is a food assistance incentive program for Farmers’ Markets in Detroit. When comparing the food assistance buying power from 2009 to 2010 at Farmers’ Markets a Detroit Farmers’ Market experienced a 368% increase. Another example of a pilot incentives program is right here in our neighboring region of Adams County. The organization, Adams County Farmers Markets, began a pilot program called “Double

Your Dollars” in 2012.



National & Local Statistics

In 2011, nationwide, 863,097 people received Senior FMNP coupons; 1.9 million WIC participants received FMNP benefits, and on average 45 million people received SNAP participants each month of the year (CBO, 2012; USDA, 2012). While these numbers reflect the amount of the national population that are receiving food and nutrition benefits, the amount actually redeemed is only a percentage of these numbers, which can range from around 50% to over 80% depending on the program and the region. Local regions can create programs to increase redemption within their communities. The population of Carlisle in 2010 was 18,682, and 13.1% of individuals in Carlisle live below the poverty level. This translates to 2,428 members of the Carlisle population (American Community Survey, 2007-2011). Therefore, accessible and affordable food sources that support food and nutrition access programs are necessary in this community, and there is a population here in Carlisle that can benefit from the Farmers’ market incentive program.



Local Benefits

The FOTS has supported Electronic Benefits Transfer since 2009. For the 2012 market season, from the months of May to October, Farmers’ on the Square had about 118 EBT access card swipes for a total of $1500 approximately spent.  This only considers SNAP use because WIC and Senior FMNP checks go directly to vendors, and Farmers’ on the Square did not keep track of these transactions. Although complete data cannot be provided for the past season, the market manager and volunteers have observed that customers often used the FMNP checks at the market. However, the ability for lower-socioeconomic individuals and families within the Carlisle region to be customers of the Farmers’ Market can continue to increase. The high prices of the Farmers’ Market continue to be a barrier for residents using Food & Nutrition access programs. This program involved low-income community members not only directly through buying power but also by increasing the knowledge of Farmers’ Market products and how to utilize them for a variety of personal benefits. This will include programs that educate customers on nutritional information, meal planning and preparation, as well as smart shopping in order to utilize their matching dollars at the Farmers’ Market



Project Description- “Double Up Food Bucks” Pilot Program



Goals and Objectives

The objective of this project is to create a system that supports access to sustainable food programs beyond the upper and middle classes. Many projects, programs, goods, and services with sustainable connotations and labels then prohibit their accessibility to communities and individuals of low-socioeconomic status because of significant cost barriers. Therefore, lower-socioeconomic community members are largely excluded from accessing these goods and services. The main barrier that creates this exclusion to local, healthy, and sustainable food products are the higher cost of these food items. Both local and organic products are often more expensive then food products at other food sources such as local grocery stores and big box stores. As awareness and understanding of these cost barriers increase, various programs are being created to bridge this gap in access to farmers’ market products and break down barriers that exclude poor community members. The USDA initiative to provide farmers’ markets with the infrastructure to use EBT access programs and accept WIC and Senior FMNP checks was one of the first movements to alter this current inequality within communities across the nation.



“Double Up Food Bucks”

EBT and FMNP access at farmers’ markets continues to grow, additional programs have begun at farmers’ markets to further increase farmers’ market access to customers using these programs. Creating incentives for low-income community members to shop at the Farmer’s Market in Carlisle will begin to further decrease barriers to fresh and healthy food within the region.  This incentives program will provide direct economic benefits to farmers and consumers, as well as applicable educational programs for the utilization of increased buying power. The incentive will be matching money spent at the farmers’ market from access programs would start during the 2013 seasonal summer FOTS market. The pilot program would match up to $10.00 used at the market from food and nutrition access programs. This will provide increased buying power for low-income community members.



Marketing & Outreach

In order for this program to be successful it must adequately and appropriately reach the lower socio-economic population of Carlisle. This will require partnerships with local community organizations that serve disadvantaged community members. Carlisle community organizations that serve the lower-socioeconomic residents include Project SHARE, Hope Station, YWCA, YMCA, Sadler, Carlisle CARES, Local Religious Community, & Carlisle School Systems. These organizations will be used as vital resources for the incentives program. A part time position created for this program will be responsible for creating partnerships with appropriate organizations. Logistics including marketing and advertising, as well as creating strategies and methods for outreach to the lower-income populations will require working with organizations and programs that are already well established within the community. Community Outreach will require particular sensitivity to all cultures and languages that are used in Carlisle. Advertising materials should be created for multiple languages including English, Spanish, and Bosnian. Creating partnerships and lines of communications with established community organizations is a necessity to facilitating long-term relationships with the target population of Carlisle residents and community members who this program is created for. Along with creating relationships with consumers, it will be vital to foster a well-rounded knowledge of the vendors and farmers at the market in order to create positive relations among all of the stakeholders involved in this program.



Educational Activities

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There are multiple educational programs that will be implemented in conjunction with the “Double Up Food Bucks” economic incentive. The purpose of the following educational programs are to assist consumers with becoming acquainted with the market products and vendors, and utilizing their market purchases to the fullest. This creates opportunity for to address a variety of needs among low class populations. These programs will cater to a various needs that are identified among the target population, including preparing fresh market products for the elderly as well as young children. The educational programs working in conjunction with the economic incentive will include:



- Farmers’ Market Tours- “Shopping with the Chef”
- Planning meals for Specific Needs/Nutrition Awareness
- Health and Wellness Cooking Demos



The above educational programs will be held both at the farmers’ market site and at other community sites in Carlisle which are to be determined. They will be organized and administered by a part time position that will lead this program. They will utilize knowledge and experience of community organizations such as Project SHARE.

Measuring Effectiveness

A plan must also be created to analyze the success of this “Double Up Food Bucks” incentive. Analysis of the program will involve the collection of quantitative data as well qualitative data. One method of measuring the success of this program is documenting the number of SNAP, WIC and Senior FMNP transactions. Another measure to be carefully document is the general number of visitors at the Farmers’ Market in the seasonal location on the square, as well as the winter locations. A method that can be implemented by educational institutions such as Penn State and Dickinson College include surveying farmers’ market customers, vendors, board members, and volunteers. Other data that could be collected in order to continue improving this program and the goals and objectives set for the entire Carlisle region is to identify the local barriers to food and nutrition access and assess the ability of this program to address these barriers as they are better understood.



Conclusion

This pilot program offers significant long-term benefits to the greater Carlisle community. This program not only directs resources to populations that experience economic barriers to healthy and nutritious food, but also includes education and training for long-term use of Farmers’ Market products in the Carlisle community. This program creates a well-rounded plan to address multiple barriers that low-income community members experience to nutrition and food access. Beyond direct benefits of this proposed program, the facilitation of community building is a huge aspect of this program. Benefits of including more community members to participate in the Farmers’ market, “…Farmers’ markets promote community through face to face interaction between neighbors and regional farmers, an approach that responds to long-standing concerns about effects of urban society on social interactions” (Alkon, 2012). Facilitating the growth of the farmers’ market to become a more community inclusive space for all people of all classes, races, and cultures is helping to develop a more integrated and connected community within the Carlisle region.



Budget

Matching Money for up to 10 dollars spent at farmers market through access programs: $4,000

Salary for Part-time position, average of 20 hours a week: $20,000

Student Intern- 6 to 10 hours per week @ $7.20 an hr – About $1,728:
Paid for by Dickinson College- Montgomery Service Leaders/College Farm

Money for marketing needs and program supplies: $1,000



Acronyms:
EBT- Electronic Benefits Transfer
POS- Point of Sale Machine
SNAP- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
WIC FMNP- Women, Infants, and Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
Senior FMNP- Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program
FOTS- Farmers on the Square
DUFB- Double Up Food Bucks



Resources

Alkon, Alison Hope. Black, White, and Green: Farmers Markets, Race, Class, and The Green Economy. Athens: University of Georgia. 2012.



John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. “Farm Bill: Reuniting SNAP Participants and Farmers’ Markets by Funding EBT Programs”. Baltimore, MD. Summer 2012.



USDA Agriculture Marketing Service, USDA Food & Nutrition Services, and Project for Public Spaces, Inc . “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) At Farmers’ Markets: A How-To Handbook”. June 2010.



USDA. “WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program”. April 2012.



USDA. “Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program”. June 2012.



US Census Bureau. American Fact Finder. Carlisle, PA. March 2013.
Website: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml