Progress 07/01/17 to 06/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is Washington, DC SNAP card holders, and SNAP-eligible DC residents. In our previous report, we estimated roughly 1,000 SNAP shoppers are served by the FreshMatch program annually. Based on SNAP transaction analysis in 2021, 1,400 unique SNAP shoppers actually took advantage of the FreshMatch program. Changes/Problems:COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic led to market capacity limits. It reduced foot traffic that stood to disrupt farmer sales at a time when fresh produce was in higher demand in our communities. In response, the Coalition focused on keeping markets open by working closely with local governments, adopting safety protocols and social distancing guidelines, and streamlining communications for vendors and shoppers. ? In 2019, the Coalition reported $35,430 on SNAP redemption and $31,249 on SNAP matching for $66,745 spent by SNAP shoppers across 29 retail outlets. In 2020, SNAP redemption and Fresh Match increased by 25% where SNAP shoppers redeemed $50,843 in SNAP and $32,980 in Fresh Match for a total of $83,823 spent at 39 retail outlets in DC. SNAP redemption and match spending is even more positive in 2021, as DC safety protocols relaxed in line with vaccine rollouts. We opened more farmers markets. In addition, we lifted the $10 cap on Fresh Match per shopper per day so that SNAP shoppers can draw down an unlimited match when they shop at market. For 2021, 78.5% of all FF SNAP transactions were for $30 or below. There were nearly 200 transactions for $100 or more. Healthy Ways The pandemic further outlined a safety risk of exposure via the administration of Fresh Match tokens or vouchers where currency changed hands between market shoppers, managers, and vendors. In response, we piloted the digital distribution of SNAP funds and SNAP incentives at the Columbia Heights Farmers Market called Healthy Ways (HW). HW is a customizable software incentive card designed to facilitate the purchase of healthy food items at farmers markets. HW digitizes incentives at the point of distribution and redemption, manages multiple currency types and incentive ratios by user, and tracks individual spending behavior. As participants and farmers complete transactions at market, HW logs transaction data in a secure online database, including but not limited to: dollar transaction amount, timestamp, geolocation, card number, and farmer. This system offers precise transparency into the distribution and use of incentives. While the HW pilot demonstrated success overall, we did notice some trouble processing out-of-state EBT cards. For example, a customer visiting from New York tried to use their EBT card and the system continued to show a connection/permissions error. This issue also occurred with shoppers using a Marland-issued EBT card. We have not seen this error returned by MobileMarket+ / TotilPay GO when processing Maryland, Virginia, or New York-issued EBT cards. Although HW natively has SNAP transaction processing capability, both the admin and user interface functionality were not as user-friendly as needed and contributed to our decision not to expand use of Healthy Ways. Farmers Register The Farmers Register offers good functionality for inventory management and food access program management, but has high startup costs, requires extensive farmer training, and does not currently offer EBT/ SNAP transaction processing capabilities. The combined cost of inputs forces FF to only use the Farmers Register in certain applications in our work, which unfortunately does not include SNAP processing or administration of SNAP incentives. FF's exploration of the technologies available to digitize SNAP spending and SNAP incentive administration was disappointing. There are only a handful of different products and point-of-sale systems. Not one product offers enough functionality and user-friendliness to make it a turnkey solution. As the need for digital benefit and incentive capabilities grow, FF hopes to see additional options available in the marketplace and see USDA assist worthy tech companies and products with additional funds and support. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Market Tracker FRESHFARM developed the "Market Tracker," an open-source tool and database that tracks, measures, and evaluates farmers market data, including vendor sales, the redemption of federal nutrition benefits and matching programs, vendor attendance, and more. The Market Tracker has been shared with DC-based Markets & More who operate the 14th & U and Bloomingdale farmers markets and the Park View farmers market. ? Our Market Tracker software consultant also helped develop new functionality for the Tracker to meet our partners' specific, individualized needs, aiding in CSA management, demographic reporting, and market hour optimization. In 2021, FF began using a centralized Market Tracker system to collect SNAP and SNAP incentive data from all FreshMatch partner markets, which greatly increased the ease of reporting for partners and improved the turnaround time for reimbursements. Financial Management In implementing Fresh Match with new partner markets, FRESHFARM also offers requisite financial management training to partners. Running a SNAP and SNAP incentive program in a multi-vendor setting requires detailed tracking of fungibles (most frequently tokens or coupons) to manage the movement of funds. Healthy Ways We piloted Healthy Ways at Columbia Heights, a new technology that provides digital delivery of SNAP incentives, improved data tracking of spending and incentive types via an app, and a more equitable and dignified program and farmers market shopping experience for SNAP users. We trained five FRESHFARM staff and five market vendors (three produce vendors, one bakery, and a fermented goods vendor) to use the new card and app system to deliver SNAP incentives in 2020 digitally. Unfortunately, the Healthy Ways user interface limitations discouraged FF from expanding its use, and we ended our pilot at the Columbia Heights market after the first season. However, insight and experience gained from the pilot program helped better inform strategic incentive program planning and further solidified the need for a turnkey digital SNAP and SNAP incentive processing tool. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We shared the Market Tracker via the website, email, and social media: https://www.freshfarm.org/blog/food-access/freshfarms-market-tracker-helps-organizations-measure-data-impact ? Coalition members have reported matching incentive data via their respective annual reports, made available to the public and disseminated to funders and donors: FRESHFARM 2021 annual report: https://www.freshfarm.org/2021-annual-report Arcadia's 2021 annual report: http://arcadiafood.org/sites/default/files/files/FY2021%20Annual%20Report(1).pdf What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal #1: Increase SNAP spending at farmers markets FRESHFARM (FF)is proud to report a 296% increase in SNAP and SNAP Incentive spending from 2017 to 2021. A 104% SNAP and SNAP Incentive spending increased when we formed the Coalition between 2017 and 2018. During COVID-19, FF leveraged the nimble capacity of farmers market operations to safely offer access to fresh, local, and nutritious fruits and vegetables and other SNAP-eligible products, citing 111% and 140% increases in SNAP and SNAP Incentive spending comparing years 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021, respectively. See Attachment A for SNAP and matching data spent during the grant period: https://adobe.ly/3KtWL1j. Goal #2: Increase SNAP marketing efforts Cooking Demonstrations When COVID-19 safety protocols relaxed per local guidelines, FF was able to offer 5 virtual and 5 in-person cooking demos in 2021. Fresh Match Marketing We designed a new Fresh Match flier and distributed 5,000 hardcopies in the 2021. We also translated FreshMatch materials into additional languages, including Spanish, Amharic, and Chinese (simplified and traditional). Goal #3: Gain data about SNAP spending We can learn much about SNAP cardholder activity and habits by analyzing transaction data from existing sources. Below is an analysis of FF SNAP customers and transactions for the 2021 calendar year. While the vast majority (78%) of SNAP transactions are for $30 and below, the slight majority of SNAP users (52% vs. 48%) only spend SNAP and receive SNAP Incentives for FF markets once or twice. We need more community engagement and outreach to understand and improve SNAP customer retention. Total transaction count: 6,326 Total unique customer count: 1,442 Transaction size distribution: See Attachment B for SNAP spending and transaction count data: https://adobe.ly/3KtWL1j. Goal#4: Increase market foot traffic and farmer sales In 2021, over 490,000 shoppers visited DC Fresh Match retail outlets overall. For July through Dec 2021, overall sales increased by over 20%, with a corresponding increase in foot traffic. Goal #5: Develop unified branding for Fresh Match In 2021, we promoted Fresh Match to 21,000 email subscribers and 49,700 social media followers and distributed 3,000 Fresh Match fliers in English and Spanish. Unified branding increased convenience for all partners. However, articulating the multiple privately-funded SNAP and WIC/Senior FMNP programs that FF and partners offer remains challenging. Goal #6: Provide Fresh Match program at 26 markets in Year 3 In 2021, we offered Fresh Match at 42 retail outlets as local safety guidelines around COVID-19 relaxed and more markets could re-open.
Publications
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Progress 07/01/20 to 06/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is SNAP-eligible and P-EBT DC residents, and we estimate roughly 1,000 individual SNAP shoppers served via the Fresh Match program. Currently, we are working on a script to automate data collection from various data sources that should give us more detailed information by August 2021. We will share this information in the final grant report. ? Changes/Problems:COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic led to market capacity limits and reduced foot traffic that stood to disrupt farmer sales at a time when fresh produce was in higher demand in our communities. In response, the Coalition focused on keeping markets open by working closely with local governments, adopting safety protocols and social distancing guidelines, and streamlining communications for vendors and shoppers. In 2019, the Coalition reported $35,430 on SNAP redemption and $31,249 on SNAP matching for a total $66,745 spent by SNAP shoppers across 29 retail outlets. In 2020, SNAP redemption and Fresh Match increased by 25% where SNAP shoppers redeemed $50,843 in SNAP and $32,980 in Fresh Match for a total of $83,823 spent at 39 retail outlets in DC. SNAP redemption and match spending are even more positive in 2021, as DC safety protocols relaxed in line with vaccine rollouts, and we are able to open more farmers markets. In addition, we lifted the $10 cap on Fresh Match per shopper per day so that SNAP shoppers can draw down an unlimited match when they shop at market. From January to May 2021, the Coalition reported a more than 190% increase in SNAP redemption and more than 276% increase in SNAP incentive spending across 42 locations. Healthy Ways The pandemic further outlined a safety risk of exposure via the administration of Fresh Match tokens or vouchers where currency changed hands between market shoppers, managers, and vendors. In response to this, we piloted the digital distribution of SNAP funds and SNAP incentives at the Columbia Heights Farmers Market called Healthy Ways (HW). HW is a customizable software incentive card designed to facilitate the purchase of healthy food items at farmers markets. HW digitizes incentives at the point of both distribution and redemption, manages multiple currency types and incentive ratios by user, and tracks individual spending behavior. As participants and farmers complete transactions at market, HW logs transaction data in a secure online database, including but not limited to: dollar transaction amount, timestamp, geolocation, card number, and farmer. This system offers precise transparency into the distribution and use of incentives. While the HW pilot demonstrated success overall, we did notice some trouble processing out-of-state EBT cards. For example, a customer visiting from New York tried to use their EBT card and the system continued to show a connection/permissions error. This issue also occurred with shoppers using a Marland-issued EBT card. We have not seen this error returned by MobileMarket+ / TotilPay SNAP when processing Maryland, Virginia, or New York-issued EBT cards. Despite the out-of-state issues, the Healthy Ways card system has the potential to completely change the way healthy food incentives are administered, and allow for increased data collection around SNAP spending behavior and incentive reciprocity among Coalition markets. In 2021, we applied to DC Health's Equitable Food Access Program for potential funding to build out Healthy Ways to more locations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Market Tracker FRESHFARM developed the "Market Tracker," an open-source tool and database that tracks, measures, and evaluates farmers market data including vendor sales, redemption of federal nutrition benefits and matching programs, vendor attendance, and more. The Market Tracker has been shared with DC-based Markets & More who operate the 14th & U and Bloomingdale farmers markets, and the Park View farmers market. Our Market Tracker software consultant also helped develop new functionality for the Tracker to meet the specific, individualized needs of our partners. Financial Management In implementing Fresh Match with new partner markets, FRESHFARM also offers requisite financial management training to partners. Running a SNAP and SNAP incentive program in a multi-vendor setting requires the use of and detailed tracking of fungibles (most frequently tokens or coupons) to manage the movement of funds. Healthy Ways We piloted Healthy Ways at Columbia Heights, a new technology that provides digital delivery of SNAP incentives, improved data tracking of spending and incentive types via an app, and a more equitable and dignified program and farmers market shopping experience for SNAP users. We trained five FRESHFARM staff and five market vendors (three produce vendors, one bakery, and a fermented goods vendor) to use the new card and app system to digitally deliver SNAP incentives in 2020. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information about the Market Tracker has been shared via website, email, and social media: 9/10/2020 (Blog Post): "FRESHFARM's Market Tracker Helps Organizations Measure Data & Impact" 7/2020 (Innovation Brief): "FRESHFARM's Market Tracker: Methods for Farmers Markets to Collect Sales Data" 6/8/2021 (Blog Post): "FRESHFARM Helps Partner Farmers Markets Harness the Power of Data" At the end of our grant period, we plan to share final results with farmers markets outside our network and also with multiple regional bodies such as DC Food Policy Council, Fairfax Food Policy Council, and the Virginia Farmers Market Association. For now, Coalition members have reported matching incentive data via their respective annual reports, made available to the public and disseminated to funders and donors: FRESHFARM 2020 Fall Impact Report and 2020 Annual Report Arcadia's Mobile Market 2020 Review What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Develop innovative ways to improve incentive delivery, SNAP redemption, and SNAP matching. For example, we could pilot a 2-to-1 match across the Coalition. Continue to build capacity around data tracking and financial management, including training and supplies Implement Fresh Match hardcopy flyer outreach and digital marketing Develop peer-to-peer fundraising kit and coordinate fundraising campaigns with National Farmers Market Week that can help build sustainability in the long-term Improve data collection to capture meaningful data on the number of individual SNAP shoppers
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal #1: Increase SNAP spending at farmers markets From January to May 2021, the Fresh Match Coalition reported more than a 190% increase in SNAP redemption and over 276% increase in SNAP Incentive spending across 42 retail locations. In 2020, the Coalition reported $50,843 in SNAP redemption and $32,980 in SNAP matching, for a total of $83,823 spent across 39 farmers markets in Washington, DC. Since 2017, total SNAP redemption and incentive spending has increased by 200%. Goal #2: Increase SNAP marketing efforts Cooking Demonstrations Due to COVID-19 in 2020, we were unable to operate in-person food demonstrations at the market. Despite this, we were able to organize 28 demonstrations during the grant period: 3 virtual Chef demos with external partners: (1) Kyle Bailey from the Salt Line DC, (2) Marcellle Afram from Maydan and Compass Rose, and (3) Jonathan Bardzik, independent cook and market enthusiast 20 virtual food demonstrations from FRESHFARM's FoodPrints education program on recipes that included a variety of salads, yogurt parfaits, pasta, and roasted vegetables. 5 in-person market demonstrations in June 2021 as safety protocols at market relaxed in accordance with local guidelines Fresh Match Marketing During COVID-19, the Coalition prioritized operations that kept farmers markets open such as working with local governments, adopting safety protocols, increasing sanitation, and streamlining communications to both vendors and market shoppers. We continued Fresh Match distribution throughout the pandemic at any open markets, and communicated changes on a regular basis via website, email, and social media. Recently, we designed a new Fresh Match flyer and ordered 5,000 hardcopies to be distributed in the 2021 market season. Additionally, we are increasing outreach on social media for students using Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) to take advantage of unlimited 1-to-1 match / incentive at market. Goal #3: Gain data about SNAP spending As mentioned in our progress report in 2020, we faced technology issues that made it difficult to collect data around SNAP spending: Farmer Register / Perigree In our original application, we planned to gather register-level data using the Farmers Market Register, a point of sale system developed by Perigree Labs. Coalition member Arcadia uses the Farmer Register to operate their mobile market program. Unfortunately, we found that in a multi-vendor market for the rest of the Coalition members, each vendor would require their own software license. Coordinating buy-in and adequately funding the Farmers Register became too expensive to implement across the Coalition. Barcodes We originally envisioned utilizing a barcode system, similar to the one used by the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association (PCFMA), to track incentives spent across markets and to identify how Fresh Match dollars moved between the various Coalition member markets. However, the PCFMA system is based on proprietary technology and would have been too expensive to implement. In 2020, FRESHFARM piloted the Healthy Ways incentive card system at Columbia Heights. Created by Merchant Source, this system can replace individual tokens and coupons with a scannable membership card and allows for data tracking and incentive types via an app. Although the pilot was promising, expanding Healthy Ways to more Coalition markets would be too expensive to implement under this grant. In 2021, we applied to DC Health's Equitable Food Access Program for potential funding to build out Healthy Ways to more locations. In spite of these challenges, we recently completed an analysis of SNAP spending covering the period January to May 2021. The analysis suggested that removing the $10 cap on the amount of incentives we match was a primary factor in driving an increase of over 190% in SNAP redemption and more than 276% in SNAP incentive spending across 42 retail locations. Other factors included opening more markets as COVID-19 capacity restrictions started to relax across DC. By the end of the grant period, we plan to at least provide an analysis of register-level incentive program data from FRESHFARM's Farm Stands and Arcadia's Mobile Markets. We can also approximate product spending based on how much was spent in a specific time frame, and correlate seasonal availability. Goal#4: Increase market foot traffic and farmer sales In 2020, over 224,000 shoppers visited DC Fresh Match retail outlets overall, with all markets combined averaging over 4,974 visitors per week. For January through April 2021, overall sales increased by 26%, with a corresponding increase in foot traffic. Goal #5: Develop unified branding for Fresh Match The Fresh Match Coalition developed unified coupons and branding for the Fresh Match matching incentive program in Washington, D.C. Information about DC Fresh Match is available online as well as on Arcadia's website, in both English and Spanish. DC Fresh Match is also visibly displayed at our information tents at the market. Additionally, we Fresh Match information to our network of 19,000 email subscribers and 46,300 social media followers. As mentioned previously, we recently designed a new Fresh Match flyer that provides information in both English and Spanish, and 5,000 copies will be distributed throughout the 2021 market season. We also created social media posts to encourage P-EBT shoppers to spend at our markets and receive an unlimited match. Goal #6: Provide Fresh Match program at 26 markets in Year 3 The Coalition provided Fresh Match at 39 retail outlets total in 2020. In 2021, we plan to offer Fresh Match at 42 retail outlets as local safety guidelines around COVID-19 begin to relax. In addition, we developed new relationships to expand the Fresh Match Coalition to include three new markets: Markets & More - (1) 14th & U Farmers Market and the (2) Bloomingdale Farmers Market Markets & More is a marketing and consulting company that runs farmers' markets and consults on cookbooks, food-related businesses, and food security. 14th & U operates every Saturday from May to November, while Bloomingdale Farmers Market is held every Sunday from May to December. These markets are community-based and producer-only. Common Good City Farm (CGCF) CGCF hosts a farm market in Le Droit Park every Wednesday from April to November. Through their community garden, they provide hands-on training in food production, healthy eating, and environmental sustainability, as well as a weekly farm stand. They also offer a CSA.
Publications
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Progress 07/01/19 to 06/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project are SNAP/SNAP eligible DC residents. In 2019, the Fresh Match Coalition served approximately 1,000 individual SNAP shoppers, seeing 881 across FRESHFARM and then-Community Foodworks farmers markets. ? Changes/Problems:From July 2019 to June 2020, two major changes have occurred that impact the Fresh Match program: (1) the FRESHFARM and Community Foodworks merger, and (2) the COVID-19 pandemic. 1. FRESHFARM & Community Foodworks Merger In October 2019, FRESHFARM and Community Foodworks announced that it would merge to become the largest farmers market organization in the Mid-Atlantic, and the largest in the country. This merger allows us to streamline our farmers market operations, branding, and communications across all 16 D.C. markets. It reduces duplication efforts for the Fresh Match program and designates one Farmers Market Program Manager, Nick Stavely, to lead and administer the Fresh Match program. Nick will be responsible for collecting data from all Fresh Match Coalition members, developing new partnerships and opportunities, training other farmers markets to provide Fresh Match, and evaluating the program year-over-year. Nick will also work with FRESHFARM's development team to pursue fundraising efforts to sustain and expand the program. 2. COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a number of different challenges. With in-person exchange increasing the risk of exposure to COVID-19, the administration of Fresh Match tokens or coupon vouchers between market shoppers, managers, and vendors has been problematic. In addition, the pandemic has disrupted major food supply chains so that grocery stores might be limited in stock, all while many individuals face increasing food insecurity due to rising unemployment rates. With safety protocols and social distancing guidelines in place, some of our farmers markets stand to lose revenue as less shoppers access the market. Many low-income individuals are at heightened risk of complications from COVID-19 due to age or diet-related chronic disease and must stay in their homes during the emergency. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FRESHFARM is creating solutions to continue to promote SNAP spending and ensure low-income individuals can access healthy, local food during this crisis.We plan to pursue the following solutions below: 2A. Healthy Ways incentive card system During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have adapted market operations to comply with safety protocols. However, farmers markets have traditionally utilized tokens and paper voucher "dollars" in increments of $1. The exchange of Fresh Match dollars becomes problematic as it is handled by market managers to shoppers, then to vendors, and back to managers to collect, count, and reimburse vendors. The currency transfer and resulting lines when vulnerable residents wait for every transaction, increases the risk of exposure to COVID-19 among managers, shoppers, and vendors, discouraging at risk residents to take advantage of Fresh Match at a time when healthy food is much more critical than ever. As described previously, we plan to pilot the Healthy Ways card system by the end of the 2020 market season. This new product gives us the ability to quickly load the value of Fresh Match dollars onto a card that low-income shoppers can shop with. Vendors avoid handling tokens and coupons and complete transactions by scanning the QR code from the shopper's card. Managers do not need to physically collect and count Fresh Match dollars anymore, as everything is recorded on the back-end of the system. The card is intended to have an inconspicuous design to remove stigmas that identify a low-income or needy recipient, thus encouraging SNAP participation. The Healthy Ways card system has the potential to completely change the way healthy food incentives are administered. If successful, this initiative can serve as a framework to roll out healthy food incentives at other food retailers (e.g. markets, farm stands, mobile food buses) nationwide. 2B. Pop Up Food Hub food distribution While we continue to serve SNAP shoppers at market, we are also looking at alternative options to deliver healthy produce to low-income individuals at their home, especially those who are at heightened risk of complications from COVID-19. FRESHFARM's Pop Up Food Hub food distribution program leverages the farmers market space to sort, pack, and then deliver produce to high-need areas. We currently offer a retail produce bag subscription for $40 a week. $7 of that amount was included to raise funds to help low-income customers. If we can secure enough funding, we hope to design a food distribution model where low-income customers can use their SNAP dollars and Fresh Match dollars toward purchase and delivery of these produce bags. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We provided training and shared best practices for processing SNAP and matching programs to our new Coalition members. Petworth Community Farmers Market completed the Virginia Farmers Market Association manager certification. We trained and provided Parkview Farmers Market with our "Master Tracker," a Google Sheet platform that tracks data about vendor sales and federal benefit spending and matching. In addition, FRESHFARM covered the expenses for the Fresh Match coupons these markets would use. ? How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have undergone major changes including the FRESHFARM and Community Foodworks merger and the COVID-19 pandemic that have delayed data collection and sharing among existing partners and the roll-out of Fresh Match to new partners. Under the merger however, we are now able to designate a Program Manager, Nick Stavely, to focus all of his efforts to administer the Fresh Match program. Under his leadership, collaboration and communication among Coalition partners will be easier. We expect data collection will be streamlined under this process, so that data year-over-year can demonstrate the impact of the Fresh Match program. We plan to share our final results with farmers markets outside our network and also multiple regional bodies such as DC Food Policy Council, Fairfax Food Policy Council, and the Virginia Farmers Market Association. For now, Coalition members have reported matching incentive data via their respective annual reports, that is made available to the public and disseminated to grant funders and donors. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Launch Healthy Ways pilot that will utilize an incentive card system that replaces coupons or tokens, minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19, reducing the negative stigma around using federal benefits, lessening the administrative burden, and improving data collection methods. Add at least four more markets to the Fresh Match Coalition Coordinate a Coalition marketing campaign to reach at least 5,000 D.C. residents Identify and Implement an appropriate survey assessment and/or focus group structure to equitably assess the program experience for individuals Incorporate actionable feedback into future programming and marketing Continue to identify, test, and evaluate new technological aids and tools that improve the Fresh Match experience for program participants, farmers, and market managers ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
FRESHFARM, Community Foodworks, and Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture represent the Fresh Match Coalition, a trio of farmers market operators who are working to increase access and affordability of healthy, local produce for low-income shoppers who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Through our Fresh Match program, SNAP shoppers at risk of food insecurity receive a dollar-for-dollar match that doubles their purchasing power to shop for healthy food at farmers markets. In October 2019, FRESHFARM and Community Foodworks announced that it would merge to become the largest farmers market organization in the Mid-Atlantic region, third-largest in the country. For this report, data from FRESHFARM and Community Foodworks data are now combined under the FRESHFARM name. The Fresh Match project goals are to : (1) increase SNAP spending at farmers markets, (2) increase SNAP marketing efforts, (3) gain data about SNAP spending, (4) develop unified branding, and (5) provide Fresh Match at 20 markets. Goal: Increase SNAP spending at farmers markets In 2019, the Fresh Match Coalition reported $35,430 on SNAP redemption and $31,246 on SNAP matching at farmers markets, for a total $66,745 spent by SNAP shoppers across 29 D.C. farmers markets. Compared to 2017 before Fresh Match was distributed, the Coalition reported $20,667 on SNAP redemption and $17,787 on SNAP matching, for a total of $38,454 spent by SNAP shoppers. Among the Coalition, SNAP spending has increased by 42% since 2017. Goal: Increase SNAP marketing efforts In 2019, FRESHFARM surpassed our goal to host 50 cooking demonstrations in the community to help drive SNAP participation and promote healthy eating and use of seasonal market ingredients. We partnered with 30 organizations to host 63 chef demos at our markets. Besides, FRESHFARM's market staff and FoodPrints food education teachers led 43 food demos and tours. These demos took place at seven D.C. farmers markets including Dupont, Penn Quarter, Mount Vernon, City Center, Foggy Bottom, Capitol Riverfront, and H Street. Goal: Gain data about SNAP spending In November 2019, FRESHFARM submitted a "Content Change for Approval" to Jane Clary and Deborah Roberts with the USDA NIFA FINI award administration. We asked for approval to change several sections of the original project narrative due to challenges with data collection and sharing faced in implementation. Outlined are some of the technology issues that have made it difficult to collect data around SNAP spending. 1. Farmer Register / Perigee: We originally hoped to gather register-level data at our Coalition markets using the Farmers Market Register, a point of sale system developed by Perigee Labs, a Virginia-based and Veteran-owned for-profit business. Coalition member Arcadia uses the Farmer Register to operate their mobile market program. As Arcadia is both the SNAP administrator and point-of-sale operator at their locations, incorporating the Farmers Register into their operations was efficient and effective, and their model allowed them to use one software license across multiple locations. However, in a multi-vendor market as how all other Coalition members operate, each vendor would require their own software license. Given farmers have varying staff capacity and technological capability, coordinating group buy-in and adequately funding implementation of the Farmers Register was not possible. After a lengthy consulting process the Farmers Register became too expensive to implement widely across the Coalition for the purposes of product-level data tracking. 2. Barcodes: We originally envisioned utilizing a barcode system, similar to the one used by the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association (PCFMA), to track incentives spent across markets and to identify how Fresh Match dollars moved between FreshFarm, Arcadia, and Community Foodworks markets. However, the PCFMA system is based on some proprietary technology and would have been too expensive to implement. To address this challenge, FRESHFARM plans to pilot the Healthy Ways incentive card system by the end of the 2020 market season. Healthy Ways is a new product that aims to improve the shopping and matching experience for SNAP customers at the market. Created by Merchant Source, a long-time mobile EBT point of sale processing company based in Virginia, this system can replace the individual tokens and coupons traditionally used to manage SNAP funds and incentive programs in multi-vendor marketplaces with a scannable membership card, tracking data and incentive types via an app used by market managers and vendors. This solution can help decrease the administrative burden for market managers, improve data collection, and ensure financial security for Fresh Match Coalition members. Goal: Develop unified branding for Fresh Match The Fresh Match Coalition developed unified coupons and branding for the Fresh Match matching incentive program in Washington, D.C. Information about DC Fresh Match is available online at www.freshmatch.org as well as on FRESHFARM and Arcadia's respective websites. Information about DC Fresh Match is also visibly displayed at our information tents at market, as well as through our e-newsletter distribution to a network of roughly 19,000 subscribers. Additionally, through the merger between FRESHFARM and Community Foodworks, we are able to streamline Fresh Match operations and communications. All FRESHFARM farmers markets are now using Community Foodworks' Master Tracker, which collects data on vendor sales and federal benefit redemption and matching. We have centralized the role for Program Manager, Nick Stavely, to focus all of his efforts on Fresh Match. He will improve outreach, field inquiries, and develop partner relations. These changes will strengthen the Fresh Match brand and make it easier to strategize and coordinate outreach efforts for the program. Goal: Provide Fresh Match program at 20 markets The Coalition surpassed our goal and provided the Fresh Match program at 29 markets in 2019. In 2020, Fresh Match is currently available at 21 markets, with six markets delayed in opening due to COVID-19. In addition, we developed new relationships to expand the Fresh Match Coalition to include three new markets: (1) Petworth Community Farmers Market, (2) Parkview Farmers Market, and (3) Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market. Due to COVID-19 however, these markets have not been able to roll out the Fresh Match program. 1. Petworth Community Farmers Market The Petworth Community Farmers Market is located in Petworth in NW DC, managed by a community-run nonprofit with one paid part-time market manager. They have offered EBT / SNAP processing and their own privately-funded SNAP matching program since 2011. Petworth agreed to join the Fresh Match Coalition ahead of their 2020 season, but they have paused processing SNAP transactions and using tokens or coupons at market due to COVID-19. 2. Parkview Farmers Market The Parkview Farmers Market opened in winter 2020 in the Parkview / Pleasant Plains neighborhood in NW DC, and is the first farmers market in that immediate area. Seeking to serve a diverse neighborhood, Parkview was an enthusiastic supporter of Fresh Match and obtained an EBT processing machine with the help of FreshFarm in early spring 2020. However due to COVID-19, Parkview has not been able to operate their market since March 2020. ?3. Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market The Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market is a community and volunteer-run market located in Mt. Pleasant, just west of Columbia Heights in NW D.C., and serves a densely diverse neighborhood. Since 2010, Mt. Pleasant has offered EBT/SNAP processing, but did not have funding to support a matching program. Mt Pleasant agreed to join the Fresh Match Coalition ahead of their 2020 season, however, they have paused processing EBT/SNAP transactions and using token or coupons due to COVID-19.
Publications
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Progress 07/01/18 to 06/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience: . Marketing efforts are being employed to reach this audience and increase benefit spending and traffic at markets. ? Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? and enhance knowledge about sustainable food systems, seasonality, and how to use locally available produce. At-market talks often include experts from the fields of sustainable food systems and local agriculture, creating educational opportunities for professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Fresh Match incentive benefits were not distributed until July of 2018, so it is still too early to disseminate the results with communities of interest. However, outreach is ongoing to partner organizations and interested participants via regular meetings and information sharing at markets, peer organizations, and resource centers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? in line with our goal to increase spending across markets, and adjust marketing efforts accordingly. Increased outreach will be made to partner and peer organizations, and banners will be placed at all Fresh Match markets. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
At the end of year 2 under the current grant cycle, we have made great progress toward the outlined project goals. As proposed, the Fresh Match incentive solution was implemented at 26 market locations by the end of this reporting cycle. To ensure word of the Fresh Match program was reaching the appropriate audiences, FRESHFARM, in collaboration with fellow FINI grantee DC Central Kitchen, created a PowerPoint with information on the incentive program. This presentation was distributed to DHS to be played in waiting rooms at all DC SNAP enrollment centers. Coalition members made presentations to DC Hunger Solutions staff and volunteers, DC Central Kitchen team, SNAP-Ed educators, and DC DOH and WIC employees. To grow the usage of SNAP incentives at farmers market locations, the Fresh Match Coalition instituted a targeted marketing strategy. The Coalition created a website with unified branding, language, project description, and incentive outlets, which has been linked in all outreach materials. Banners and fliers were created with unified branding for all Fresh Match locations to increase program recognition and awareness. One other marketing tactic employed during year 2 of the grant was an advertisement placed on FRESH EBT, an app used by SNAP shoppers to check their balance. The advertisement, which has been running since May 23, 2019 has generated 275 views on the FRESHMATCH website where information about the incentive program is shared. 11 of the proposed cooking demonstrations have been conducted to date, and plans have been made to implement the remaining 39 by the end of the current market season. Cooking demos are led by a combination of market staff and local partners such as SNAP-Ed educators, nutritionists, and other volunteers. As the distribution of Fresh Match incentive benefits began in July of 2018, it is too early to accurately measure an increase in vendor sales and foot traffic to participating markets. This data will be included in all future reports, and is currently included in CPD reports. The Farmer Register, a database that allows for enhanced tracking of the forms of currency that are being used for each food item, is in use at 10 of the 26 Coalition markets. We hope to implement the Farmer Register at an additional 2-4 markets this season. More markets using the Register will depict a more complete picture of benefit spending. Moving forward, talks have begun with allied organizations to add them to the Coalition and expand the number of access points for Fresh Match shoppers.
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Progress 07/01/17 to 06/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:One of the major problems we faced, which led to signifcant delays in rolling out the program, was the fact that the 3 market organizations have markets outside of the "DC Fresh Match" area as indicated in the grant. Because the intent of DC Fresh Match is to allow SNAP shoppers to redeem benefits across DC markets we had to best determine how to handle the situation of a customer bringing a "DC Fresh Match" coupon to a FRESHFARM, Community Foodworks, or Arcadia farmers market outside of DC. Ultimately, we decided that all 3 organizations would honor the DC Fresh Match coupons at all markets and raise additional funds to meet those financial requirements. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Distribution has begun and a DC Fresh Match website (dcfreshmatch.org) has been developed. We will now engage community partners to better promote the program. Additionally, to track coupons individually we have a scheduled meeting 10/4/18 with the Pacific Coast Farmers Market association to potentially purchase their coupon scanning technology to enable us to keep track of where the coupons are distributed and redeemed. We hope that this will allow us to add on to existing technology without developing a whole new platform ourselves.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Because the major farmers market season begins in May for the 3 grantees, this reporting period was spent developing a new method for SNAP benefit distribution and redemption at the farmers markets. FRESHFARM, Community Foodworks, & Arcadia transitioned away from a token system at farmers markets to a coupon system to better be able to track benefits and provide more details about the DC Fresh Match program on the coupon itself. There were more design changes than we anticipated and we soliticed proofs of the new designs from a number of different pritning companies but ultimately decided to contract with Cannon Graphics on our final coupon design. Because they new DC Fresh Match coupons did not arrive at markets and distributed until July 1st, there is not much to report here. DC Fresh Match distribution is now happening across all 3 market organizations and we are beginning to gather data about the impact on customer behavior.
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