Promoting Your Market

The number of markets offering an opportunity for food stamp customers to use their benefits through wireless POS terminals is increasing throughout New York State, as well as across the nation. It’s a win-win, allowing low income consumers access to high quality, nutritious local foods, while at the same time giving farmers added revenue through food stamp sales.

But the time lag between the USDA rollout of electronic benefits issuance and the availability of a reliable wireless solution for open-air farmers markets means that many food stamp beneficiaries have never before shopped at a farmers market or are out of the habit. It’s a challenge for farmers markets to reach the low income community, build awareness of the opportunity to use benefits at a market and then build a meaningful customer base.

In my travels around the state, I’ve asked how some markets have promoted the program and would like to share some of the more successful approaches.

Several market managers have said the best outreach is to visit community centers, senior centers and the like. They have arranged to give a market presentation to introduce the market and the market’s EBT program. Bringing in samples of market food helps consumers visualize the kinds of offerings they might find at markets and builds their interest. Part of the presentation explains the market’s token system and then encourages listeners to pre-purchase tokens. Once a consumer buys tokens, they are sure to come to the next market day to use them. Once getting a customer, whether with food stamps or cash, to the market the first time, the odds are good that they will return.

Many markets partner with local organizations to help them reach low income consumers. Many local organizations, whether non-profit or government agencies, work one-on-one with food stamp recipients. Making these service agencies aware of a market’s EBT program is the first step. A service provider brochure developed by the Farmers Market Federation of NY and downloadable at http://www.snaptomarket.com/cms/power/GuideforHumanServiceProfessionals.pdf is a useful tool for this. Service providers we have talked to are excited by the opportunity and will help promote your market and your EBT program to their clients.

The Rochester Public Market reached out to a community center serving a Ukrainian immigrant population. The Center was so excited by the opportunity that they arranged transportation from the Center to the market each day!

A really inventive outreach program was developed by marketumbrella.org in New Orleans and adopted by Greenmarket. This program takes BINGO to a whole new level! Greenmarket staff brings Farmers Market BINGO to senior centers. Each space on the BINGOP card represents a local fruit or vegetable. As the caller calls out each draw, she includes facts about the fruit or vegetable. Whenever a senior calls out BINGO!, they must recite the facts about each of the fruits and vegetables that makes up their bingo. Only when they can recite the facts, are they declared a winner. And what do they win – Tokens! This program helps seniors learn about local food, the farmers market, and the EBT program, while it builds excitement to visit the farmers market.

These are a few of the outreach efforts that markets have found successful. What are you doing at your market? Share some of your successes here.

Tags: Bingo, EBT, farmers market, food stamps, low income