Double Market Bucks Program of the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market 2013 Annual Report

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2013 Annual Report Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department Prepared by Nikki Wooten Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs Service Corps Fellow

A Message from the Farmers’ Market Coordinator 2013 was an astonishing year for the Market Bucks Program. Thanks to a private donor’s generous contribution to the Bloomington Parks Foundation, we were able to offer Double Market Bucks at our Saturday and Tuesday Markets. This program aims to develop the customer base for our farmers while incentivizing vulnerable families to use federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase healthful, local foods available at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market.

We made steps forward on many organizational and programmatic fronts over the course of the season to ensure Double Market Bucks’ success. Prior to the season, we reached out to local service agencies and nonprofit organizations, and worked with our department communications team to develop effective promotional materials. We hired additional staff to handle the extra paperwork and conducted an end-of-season survey specifically for our Double Market Bucks customers to learn how best to improve the program.

Marcia Veldman Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market Coordinator

In this report, we describe trends for the following outcomes: 1. Increase SNAP purchases 2. Increase SNAP customers 3. Increase access to educational opportunities A few powerful findings from our 2012-13 data are: • 72% of vendors reported that they sell more fruits and vegetables because of Double Market Bucks.

• 76% of vendors reported they make more money at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market because of Double Market Bucks.

• 92% of customers reported they increased the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables they eat as a result of shopping at the Farmers’ Market.

• 68% of customers reported they wouldn’t have come to the Farmers’ Market without Double Market Bucks.

• 87% of customers reported that the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables they eat has increased as a result of shopping at the Farmers’ Market.

As much as we believe in the importance of sound metrics, the bottom line is that this program aims to help people, so we have let our SNAP customers and vendors speak for themselves in testimonials throughout the report.

In a time when federal support for nutrition assistance programs is volatile, we want to do everything we can here in our town to make our neighbors’ lives less uncertain. None of this important work would be possible without our amazing community partners who helped us spread the word about the program.

Best regards,

Marcia Veldman Farmers’ Market Coordinator

1 Double Market Bucks 2013 Annual Report

The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market and the Double Market Bucks Program

T

he Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market was founded in 1975 and has been growing ever since. For 39 years, the Farmers’ Market has enriched the lives of the community by providing a place for residents and visitors to come together in a festive atmosphere to buy local produce and other farm products directly from the growers. The Farmers’ Market’s mission aims to support small farmers and gardeners, securing a local food source. To further the mission and increase access to the Market for all residents regardless of income, the Farmers’ Market began accepting SNAP benefits in 2007 through the Market Bucks program. Participation in SNAP has been on the rise throughout Indiana as more and more Hoosier families rely on SNAP to feed themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in August 2013 there were 931,675 residents (approximately 14% of the state’s population) enrolled in the SNAP program in Indiana.

The Farmers’ Market, with the support of the Bloomington Parks Foundation, in 2013 began an incentive program called Double Market Bucks to match SNAP purchases at Market. When SNAP customers purchase Market Bucks, they receive a matching dollar amount (up to $18 per visit) in additional Market Bucks to use at the Farmers’ Market. Market Bucks are paper vouchers that come in $3 increments and may be used like cash to purchase fresh, locally produced fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, eggs, and cheeses. SNAP customers purchase Market Bucks from Farmers’ Market staff during Farmers’ Market hours by swiping their Hoosier Works debit card on the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machine.

Double Market Bucks has several goals: • Long-term goal 1: Reduce local food insecurity.

• Long-term goal 2: Strengthen local food economy.

• Long-term goal 3: Promote healthy lifestyles among SNAP customers.

• Short-term goal 1: Increase access to nutritious foods available at Farmers’ Market.

• Short-term goal 2: Increase direct marketing opportunities for Farmers’ Market vendors.

We are primarily interested in evaluating the following outcomes, related to some, but not all, of the overall program goals: • Outcome 1: Increase purchases by SNAP customers.

• Outcome 2: Increase total number of SNAP customers.

• Outcome 3: Increase access to educational opportunities.

We must note that the statistics included in this report are descriptive only. We are unable to make casual claims until a more rigorous evaluation takes place.

“... an aw esome program.

It has helped me a lot to save mon ey and eat fresh, local frui t and vegg ies.

Thank yo u!”

-Market B ucks cust omer

Marketing Newspaper/radio 2%

Online 5%

Figure 1. How customers heard about the Double Market Bucks program

Soup kitchen/ food pantry 12% At the Farmers’ Market 43% Friend/family 19%

Other 19%

Program Trends

Eggs 4%

Honey 4%

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Ba

Outcome 1: Increase purchases by SNAP customers.

4%

Meats 8%

s

Other 8%

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One of the immediate benefits during the first season of Double Market Bucks was a substantial increase in the amount of purchases made by customers on SNAP. We wanted to see what types of foods SNAP customers typically purchased, so we asked them.

Eighty-nine percent and 95% of respondents reported purchasing fruits and vegetables, respectively, on a regular basis at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market. Likewise, 64% of our vendors reported that fruits and vegetables were the most popular items purchased with Market Bucks.

Fruits & vegetables 64%

Cheese 8%

Figure 2. Most popular items purchased with Market Bucks 3 Double Market Bucks 2013 Annual Report

Saturday Market During the implementation of Double Market Bucks in 2013, we recorded both the frequency of SNAP customers and the amount that they purchased. In 2012, the amount of Market Bucks purchased reached $5,190 over the course of the season, and customers purchased an average of $24 worth of Market Bucks per capita. In 2013, the amount of Market Bucks purchased reached $33,393, an increase of 543%.

Customers purchased an average of $33 (+39%) of Market Bucks per capita in 2013.

Figure 3. Total SNAP purchases per month at the Saturday Farmers’ Market

ore m y an m t e cks] “I g u B et k r ars. a e y [M ous i v e r p get n y a n h t e ma v e i ally l m r o I be ho n w it.” e s d e r e o ch aff t ’ dor n n d e l v u co ket -Mar Double Market Bucks 2013 Annual Report 4

Tuesday Market During the 2012 Tuesday Market season (held each Tuesday, June through September, from 4-7 p.m.), the total amount of Market Bucks purchased was $237. Customers purchased an average of $11 worth of Market Bucks per capita on average.

In 2013, the amount of Market Bucks purchased at Tuesday Market was $2,628, an increase of 1,009% over 2012. Customers purchased $30 (+181%) worth of Market Bucks per capita on average in 2013.

Figure 4. Total SNAP purchases per month at the Tuesday Farmers’ Market

“This pro gram has been a huge be nefit to m e and my fami ly. It has made it possible f or us to g et more fresh prod uce and s upport local farm ers, both of which had becom e financi ally difficult to do.”

-Market B ucks cust omer 5 Double Market Bucks 2013 Annual Report

Outcome 2: Increase total number of SNAP customers.

Saturday Market In 2012, there were a total of 204 SNAP customer transactions at the Saturday Market over the course of the season, with an average of 6 SNAP customers per Market. In 2013, there were a total of 987 transactions, an increase of 384% over 2012 figures. There were an average of 28 SNAP customers (+384%) per Saturday Market in 2013.

Figure 5.

Total SNAP customers per month at the Saturday Farmers’ Market

Tuesday Market In 2012, there were a total of 12 SNAP transactions during the Tuesday Market season, with an average of 1 SNAP customer per Tuesday Market. In 2013, Market staff administered 85 (+608%) total SNAP transactions at Tuesday Market, with an average of 5 (+608%) customers per Market.

Figure 6.

Total SNAP customers per month at the Tuesday Farmers’ Market

[The program] allows me to do what I really want to be able to do: support local farmers and eat healthy-but on a budget.” -Market Bucks customer

Outcome 3: Increase access to educational opportunities We attempted to measure the number of families participating in educational opportunities, both informal and formal, at the Market, but do feel that a more elaborate evaluation is needed. Thirty-nine percent of survey respondents said they chat with farmers or other people about produce, recipes, or nutrition at every Market. Another 39% said they do so about half the time.

All Market customers are encouraged to participate in events such as chef demonstrations to learn about seasonal offerings and preparation methods.

Sixteen percent of respondents rated chef demonstrations as very important in their decision to visit Market. Similarly, 13% of respondents rated tomato, apple, and soup tastings and other events as very important.

SNAP customers reported several other reasons for visiting the Farmers’ Market. Seventy-six percent rate supporting local farmers or businesses as very important, while 68% rate taking part in the community as very important.

Market staff offered a seasonal publication called Nutrition Notes to all Market Bucks customers, which provided tips on nutrition and budgeting. Twenty-six percent of survey respondents agreed that the publication guided their shopping at the Market.

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7 Double Market Bucks 2013 Annual Report

Looking Ahead We are pleased to announce the Bloomington Parks Foundation has received additional funding to continue offering the Double Market Bucks program in the 2014 season. We have set out several goals to improve the program in the future: 1. Streamline the administrative paperwork to make the process as efficient as possible for vendors and staff.

2. Create a video to introduce potential first-time SNAP customers to how the Double Market Bucks program works.

3. Provide SNAP customers with more opportunities to learn about nutritious foods available at the Market by offering guided tours to first- time shoppers.

Contact Information Karin St. John Executive Director Bloomington Parks Foundation 812.349.3700 stjohnk@bloomington.in.gov Marcia Veldman Farmers’ Market Coordinator Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department 812.349.3700 veldmanm@bloomington.in.gov Nikki Wooten Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs Service Corps Fellow Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department 812.349.3700 wootenn@bloomington.in.gov

Thank you to our community partners Bloomington Housing Authority Bloomingfoods Market & Deli City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department Community Kitchen Habitat for Humanity Hoosier Hills Food Bank IU Health Bloomington Monroe County CASA Monroe County Health Department Monroe County Community School Corporation Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard Monroe County United Ministries Salvation Army of Bloomington South Central Community Action Program

Double Market Bucks 2013 Annual Report 8

Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department bloomington.in.gov/farmersmarket

Bloomington Parks Foundation bloomingtonparksfoundation.org

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