Progress 06/15/18 to 06/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Over the project period, the Fresh Bucks program has successfully reached the two main target audiences. The first target audience is farmers markets serving low-income communities, with an emphasis on rural farmers markets in eastern and central NC. Of the fifteen farmers markets in the program, ten were located in tier 1 counties (an NC index denoting areas of high economic distress and low-income communities). Year one started with 13 markets that continued to operate in Year Two. From Year Two to Year Four, four more farmers markets were added to the Fresh Bucks program. Additionally, two markets were able to graduate from Fresh Bucks funding to another funding source to continue offering a nutrition incentive program. Among these 15 farmers markets, we continued providing an incentive sub-award to a mobile market in Wilmington, North Carolina. We also expanded Fresh Bucks to a second co-op grocery store in Year Two and increased the number of months Fresh Bucks is available to store customers. Training and technical assistance has been provided to market's through in person site visits, online meetings and trainings, over the phone, and emails. Additional support has been given by program staff through advertising and outreach program development and printing, including all materials being available in both English and Spanish. Fundseeking was also a part of assistance provided by program staff. Five markets were able to find other funding before the ending of the FINI award, so there was no gap in incentive offerings. Over the course of the grant project, RAFI staff also engaged in the formation of a North Carolina state farmers market network. This need arose due to the COVID pandemic and increased demand for farmer market collaboration. The network includes nutrition incentive programs as a priority and they are currently working on state-wide incentive funding that would support any NC farmers market. The second main target group reached were farmers market vendors. More than 100 farmers were able to accept Fresh Bucks over each year of the project. Although the market managers served as the main point of contact with vendors, RAFI-USA conducted vendor evaluations at the end of each year to understand how Fresh Bucks is performing and how it can be improved from the farmers' perspective. The majority of farmers agreed that it would be beneficial to the program if incentives could be used on any SNAP eligible product, not just fruits and vegetables. This opinion was especially voiced by farmers who offered both fresh vegetables and protein sources. Farmers also shared that more signage around town would be helpful so that potential customers could know about the program. The last year and six months (due to the extension) of the Fresh Bucks program saw $96,175 in nutrition incentives redeemed. The program saw an additional $3,932 redeemed through SNAP Ambassador funds and $2,772 in Produce Box funds. With this final year of data, this means that the program overall saw a total of $146,476 incentives redeemed, $3,327 SNAP Ambassador funds given for outreach work, and $7,179 worth of produce bought through the Produce Box program. It is notable that with the markets advertising it being the last year of the Fresh Bucks Program seemed to increase sales leading to heavy redemption rates in the final year. Changes/Problems:The major challenges of the project came from graduating markets off of funding. While we were able to see 7 markets graduate from funding, very few markets were able to make this happen with one funding source. Additionally, markets that were able to find funding once the project ended struggled to find multi-year funding. Another major challenge we had was participation in the SNAP Ambassador program. While markets who used this aspect of the program saw increases in incentive redemptions, it was hard to get markets onboard to operate the SNAP Ambassador program. We originally had $28k set aside for supporting SNAP Ambassadors. We ended up using a smaller portion of those funds as farmers markets either didn't have the capacity to participate or they had trouble recruiting ideal Ambassadors. Many of the programs we worked with had only one staff person (who was sometimes only part time), so adding a SNAP Ambassador to their duties was not always workable. However, what did help markets accept an addition of a SNAP Ambassador was showing them data from the Windsor Farmers Market, who had a significant increase (from $44 in 2018 to $425 in 2019) in incentive redemptions after the addition of a SNAP Ambassador. Additionally, when market managers expressed a frustration at the discrepancy between incentives distributed to customers vs. incentives that were redeemed by customers, program staff would encourage the implementation of a SNAP Ambassador. In the end, there were more funds dedicated to the SNAP Ambassador program than we could spend on that aspect of the project. Thus, we reallocated that funding to be used for general Fresh Bucks incentives. We also saw how detrimental it can be for the farmers market and Fresh Bucks program when there is market manager staff turn over. It often results in a pause in the program, and sometimes results in a new organization all together housing the market. Approximately six of the farmers markets we worked with had a market manager change during the grant project. This often resulted in delays or temporary slow downs in incentive redemption rates and reporting responsiveness. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All market managers were trained and received ongoing support from program coordinator and manager via start of the season calls for each market and ongoing monthly communications. Specific developments range from advertising/outreach, setting up the program, working with vendors to accept Fresh Bucks, and partnership development. The North Carolina Farmers Market Manager network calls that began in 2020 and continued throughout the rest of the project offered another opportunity for market manager professional development. A few presentation topics over the last few years include conflict resolution at market, fundraising strategies, social media promotion, and food safety at market. Additionally, several market managers within the program are now regional representatives for the manager network. Program staff also worked with a group of markets applying for a GusNIP grant, and many other markets working on securing funding outside of the FINI award. Program coordinator Angel has attended many professional development opportunities this reporting year including a recurring monthly call on incentives for CSA's and statewide incentive funding How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All Fresh Bucks data was shared with the respective market at the end of each market season. We compiled and returned end of the season summaries to all markets - which included financial overviews and customer/vendor survey data. Market managers were encouraged to share the findings with vendors at the market and their wider communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Our grant project period began in June 2018 to June 2023, five years. However, the farmers markets involved in the Fresh Bucks nutrition incentive program didn't begin offering the program until April of 2019 and ran until January 2023. So the Fresh Bucks program was operational for four full farmers market seasons (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022) Goal A.1. We saw SNAP customer counts and SNAP purchases exponentially increase over the project timeline. From 2019 to the end of 2022, the number of SNAP transactions increased by 102%. SNAP total sales increased by 243%. This data was gathered from the 12-15 markets participating over the project timeline. Goal A.2. We were able to support nutrition incentive programs 12-15 farmers markets each of the four years. Goals A.3. Two markets graduated off of funding after 2 market seasons in the project. There were five more markets who found alternate funding during the last year of the project and were able to continue offering SNAP incentives at their market. Goal A.4. Program staff trained 8 individual farmers and farmers' markets to become SNAP retailers in the last year of the project. We also hosted a public facing market readiness webinar on SNAP certification and implementation; 99 registrations, 138 views of recording on YouTube. Goal A.5. The program was offered at Feast Down East Mobile market and at two grocery stores, in Wilmington and Durham, NC. We also worked with two other mobile markets to offer the Fresh Bucks program. Goal B.1. During this last year of the program, markets did a lot of partner outreach concerning future funding specifically. Markets were able to build relationships with organizations such as health centers, community food councils, churches, local government councils, other markets, and more. Each market was able to begin a new community partnership. Goal B.2. The last year of the project was the most successful for the SNAP Ambassador aspect of the program, with five farmers markets working with an Ambassador. The inclusion of SNAP Ambassadors had a significant impact on community awareness and use. For example, the Secotan Market was able to secure a SNAP ambassador in the final year of the program and saw a 40% increase in incentive redemptions. Goal B.3. The Produce Box program had tremendous success during this final year of the project, providing $2,772 in fruits and vegetables to customers that did not have any funds remaining on their SNAP/EBT card. Over the entire span of the program, the Produce Box saw $7,179 in fruits and vegetables.
Publications
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Progress 06/15/21 to 06/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Over the reporting period, our project has successfully reached the two main target audiences. The first target audience is farmers markets serving low-income communities, with an emphasis on rural farmers markets in eastern and central NC. Year Four started with 15 markets, and now has 17 markets due to two markets opening second locations. Additionally, two markets were able to graduate from Fresh Bucks funding to another funding source to continue offering a nutrition incentive program. Three other markets have applied for alternative funding with the support of RAFI-USA and are waiting to hear back. Among these 17 farmers markets, we continued providing an incentive sub-award to a mobile market in Wilmington, North Carolina. We have worked with two co-op grocery stores and two mobile markets. Training and technical assistance has been provided to market's through in person site visits, online meetings and trainings, over the phone, and through emails. Additional support has been given by program staff through advertising and outreach program development and printing, including all materials being available in both English and Spanish. The second main target group reached were farmers market vendors. More than 90 farmers were able to accept Fresh Bucks over the last reporting period. Although the market managers served as the main point of contact with vendors, RAFI-USA conducted vendor evaluations at the end of 2021 to understand how Fresh Bucks is performing and how it can be improved from the farmers' perspective. This reporting season (June 2021- May 2022), the program saw $56,539.35 in Fresh Bucks incentive redemptions. The program saw an additional $2,507 redeemed through Produce Box funds and $1,481.50 in SNAP Ambassador funds. Changes/Problems:One challenge has been market manager staff turnover and capacity. There were three markets during Y4 who had a change in management. This resulted in conducting training sessions with new managers and a learning curve, especially when it came to monthly reporting and program education. Additionally, the Authentically Alamance Farmers' Market had to take a few months off of the program due to lack of staff to fund the market. At the beginning of '22, 3G networks were taken off line. There were not clear communications surrounding this change, which resulted in some markets having to enter SNAP transactions manually until they were able to receive updated SNAP POS equipment. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All market managers were trained and received ongoing support from the program coordinator via start of the season calls for each market and ongoing monthly communications. Specific developments range from advertising/outreach, setting up the program, working with vendors to accept Fresh Bucks, and partnership development. ?The North Carolina Farmers Market Manager calls that occurred throughout the reporting period offered another opportunity for market manager professional development. A few presentation topics over the last year include food safety at market, manager-to-manager education and sharing, incentive program operation and funding, SNAP and other food assistant program education, and vendor recruitment. Additionally, RAFI-USA staff aided a group of markets in applying for the GusNIP grant in early 2022. Program coordinator Angel has attended many professional development opportunities this reporting year including the monthly calls on CSA incentive programs and Nutrition Incentive Hub National Convening. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes. All Fresh Bucks data is shared with the respective market. We also compiled and returned end of the season summaries to all markets - which included financial overviews and customer/vendor survey data. Market managers are encouraged to share the findings with vendors at the market and their wider communities. Additionally, each market gets updates throughout the year on how their market's program is doing. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue supporting markets in the program. As we expect our funding to end in the coming months, RAFI staff has coached many markets on local/regional funding opportunities to explore. Many markets are looking to secure funding through specific organizations within their county. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal A.1. SNAP purchases increased from Year 3 to Year 4. From Y3 to Y4, SNAP purchases increased 70%. The total amount of SNAP dollars at the markets for year 4 was $127,046 Goal A.2. Fresh Bucks EBT incentives were available at 17 farmers markets during the reporting period, including one sub-award mobile market and two co-op grocery stores. Goal A.3. RAFI staff worked with a group of markets in the Wilmington, NC area to apply for a GusNIP grant. This included one mobile market, one farmers market, and one co-op grocery that is currently receiving Fresh Bucks support from RAFI. This group also included one additional co-op grocery and one other farmers market in the area. Since Y2 of the program, we have had 5 markets find alternative funding or apply for alternative funding (and are waiting to hear back). Goal A.4. Four non-traditional markets were able to successfully implement SNAP programs and/or incentive programs during the Year 4 reporting period due to training and outreach provided by program staff. ?Goal A.5. Fresh Bucks incentives were provided to Feast Down East Mobile Market and saw $3107.46 in SNAP sales. Fresh Bucks incentives were provided to Durham Co-op Market SNAP customers in the amount of $5,293.52. The Tidal Creek Co-op Market saw $3,177.18 in SNAP incentive sales in the Y4 reporting period. Goal B.1. During start-of-season meetings with RAFI-USA program staff, market managers developed a plan to speak with at least one community partner depending on needs identified in the start of the season calls in March 2022. Partners included health departments, SNAP DHS offices, community centers, and churches. Outreach included providing postcards and information on Fresh Bucks programs and presentations to community members at local offices. All markets are currently meeting this goal. Goal B.2. Four farmers markets currently have Fresh Bucks ambassadors that help with outreach, provide guidance to market leadership, and assist SNAP customers navigate the market and use the Fresh Bucks tokens. We have seen a dramatic increase in Fresh Bucks redeemed at market when markets add a SNAP Ambassador. Nash County Farmers Market is the latest market to add a SNAP Ambassador. In comparing Y4 year to Y3 (when they did not have a SNAP Ambassador) the program saw a 70% increase in Fresh Buck redemptions. Goal B.3. The Produce Box program had greater success during this reporting period and provided $2,507 in fruits and vegetables to customers that did not have any funds remaining on their SNAP/EBT card, which is a 56% increase from Y3.
Publications
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Progress 06/15/20 to 06/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience: Over the reporting period, our project has successfully reached the two main target audiences. The first target audience is farmers markets serving low-income communities, with an emphasis on rural farmers markets in eastern and central NC. Year Three started with 13 markets that operated in Year Two. From Year Two through Year Three, four more farmers markets offered the Fresh Bucks program. Additionally, two markets were able to graduate from Fresh Bucks funding to another funding source to continue offering a nutrition incentive program. Among these 15 farmers markets, we continued providing an incentive sub-award to a mobile market in Wilmington, North Carolina. We also expanded Fresh Bucks to a second co-op grocery store and increased the number of months Fresh Bucks is available to store customers. Training and technical assistance has been provided to market's through in person site visits, online meetings and trainings, over the phone, and through emails. Additional support has been given by program staff through advertising and outreach program development and printing, including all materials being available in both English and Spanish. The second main target group reached were farmers market vendors. More than 80 farmers were able to accept Fresh Bucks over the last reporting period. Although the market managers served as the main point of contact with vendors, RAFI-USA conducted vendor evaluations at the end of 2020 to understand how Fresh Bucks is performing and how it can be improved from the farmers' perspective. This reporting season (June 2020 - May 2021), the program saw $43,595 in Fresh Bucks incentive redemptions. The program saw an additional $1630 redeemed through Produce Box funds and $530 in SNAP Ambassador funds. ? Changes/Problems:There were two farmers markets that we worked with in Year 2 that did not open in Year 3 due to COVID. For this reason we found a few new farmers markets to join the program. We are still in contact with the markets that closed in case they would like to resume next year. We experienced a personnel change over the last reporting period. The previous program coordinator, Charlotte Minguez, departed RAFI-USA in November 2020. Program manager, Lisa Misch, kept the Fresh Bucks program operational until the new coordinator, Angel Woodrum, began working in January 2021. This personnel change delayed the release of end of season summaries and slightly delayed outreach to new farmers markets in 2021. However, project activities are on track as of the end of this reporting period. Due to COVID, program staff did not conduct in person site visits to the new farmers markets in the summer of 2020. We relied on phone, email, and video calls to stay informed on project progress. Site visits resumed in the summer of 2021 with proper safety precautions taken. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All market managers were trained and received ongoing support from program coordinator and manager via start of the season calls for each market and ongoing monthly communications. Specific developments range from advertising/outreach, setting up the program, working with vendors to accept Fresh Bucks, and partnership development. The North Carolina Farmers Market Manager calls that occurred throughout the reporting period offered another opportunity for market manager professional development. A few presentation topics over the last year include conflict resolution at market, fundraising strategies, social media promotion, and food safety at market. Program coordinator Angel has attended many professional development opportunities this reporting year including the NYS Market Manager conference, Nutrition Incentive Hub National Covening, and GusNIP Supplemental Stimulus Funding Policy Forum. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes. All Fresh Bucks data is shared with the respective market. We also compiled and returned end of the season summaries to all markets - which included financial overviews and customer/vendor survey data. Market managers are encouraged to share the findings with vendors at the market and their wider communities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue supporting markets in the program. The co-op groceries will operate the program for more months than previous years. We will also focus on coaching markets that are good candidates for graduating from the program into other funding sources. This is on track with our projected timeline. We will continue to create end of season summaries for the markets that compare this season's data with previous years. We will continue collecting and analyzing customer and vendor surveys that the markets collect. We are also working with Feast Down East on offering Fresh Bucks for a CSA delivery program they are building. Over the next reporting period we plan to build upon the growing success of the SNAP Ambassador program by collecting evaluative feedback from the ambassadors. This feedback will be shared with other participating Fresh Bucks markets
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal A.1. SNAP purchases increased from Year 2 to Year 3. From Y2 to Y3, SNAP purchases increased 88.15%. The total amount of SNAP dollars at the markets for year 3 was $74,590. Goal A.2. Fresh Bucks EBT incentives were available at 15 farmers markets during the reporting period, including one sub-award mobile market and two co-op grocery stores. Goal A.3. Plans are in development to assist markets, including pairing geographically close markets together to apply for joint funding. Two markets graduated off the Fresh Bucks program during this reporting period. Goal A.4. Four non-traditional markets were able to successfully implement SNAP programs and/or incentive programs during the Year 3 reporting period due to training and outreach provided by program staff. Goal A.5. Fresh Bucks incentives were provided to Feast Down East Mobile Market in the amount of a $3,500 subgrant. Fresh Bucks incentives were provided to Durham Co-op Market SNAP customers in the amount of $13,249.44. The Tidal Creek Co-op Market became the second co-op market in November 2020. They saw $2120.76 in SNAP incentive sales in the Y3 reporting period. Goal B.1. During start-of-season meetings with RAFI-USA program staff, market managers developed a plan to speak with at least one community partner depending on needs identified in the start of the season calls in March 2021. Partners included health departments, SNAP DHS offices, community centers, and churches. Outreach included providing postcards and information on Fresh Bucks programs and presentations to community members at local offices. All markets are currently meeting this goal. Goal B.2. Four farmers markets currently have Fresh Bucks ambassadors that help with outreach, provide guidance to market leadership, and assist SNAP customers navigate the market and use the Fresh Bucks tokens. We have seen a dramatic increase in Fresh Bucks redeemed at market when markets add a SNAP Ambassador. In reporting year 1, Windsor Farmers Market saw $68.50 Fresh Buck redemptions. When the market added a SNAP Ambassador, the market saw $1075 Fresh Buck redemptions. Nash County Farmers Market has added a SNAP Ambassador in the last two months. In comparing the last two months to the same two months the previous year when there wasn't a SNAP Ambassador, the program saw a 76% increase in Fresh Buck redemptions. Goal B.3. The Produce Box program had greater success during this reporting period and provided $1,630 in fruits and vegetables to customers that did not have any funds remaining on their SNAP/EBT card. In Year three, five Fresh Bucks markets offered Produce Box to customers.
Publications
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Progress 06/15/19 to 06/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Over the reporting period, our project has successfully reached two of our main target audiences. The first target audience is farmers markets serving low-income communities, with an emphasis on farmers markets in eastern NC. Year Two started with five markets that operated in Year One, all of which are in counties where the percentage of people in poverty was above the national average (12.3% per 2017, US Census). From Year One through Year Two, seven more farmers markets offered the Fresh Bucks program. In addition to these 12 farmers markets, we continued providing an incentive sub-award to a mobile market in Wilmington, North Carolina and began a new Fresh Bucks program with the Durham Co-op Market (Durham's poverty rate is 17.1%). The Durham Co-op Market already had a base of customers that were using the market's incentive program and Fresh Bucks gave greater discounts to SNAP shoppers. Training and technical assistance has been provided to market's through in person meetings, online meetings and trainings, over the phone, and through emails. Additional support has been given by program staff through advertising and outreach program development and printing, including all materials being available in both English and Spanish. ? The second target audience is new SNAP customers and SNAP customers who had already shopped with Fresh Bucks in previous years. Although many markets experienced either some delay in opening or missed markets due to COVID-19, SNAP and Fresh Bucks usage has far exceeded expectations for the 2020 season. There were a total of 4,764 SNAP transactions in Y2. Due to a delayed program start, our Year One baseline numbers do not reflect a full market season. Therefore, we are unable to determine a clear picture of percentage increase from Year One to Year Two. However, when comparing program usage from fiscal year 2019 and the Year Two reporting period - both of which represent a full farmers market season - we saw a 51% increase in Fresh Bucks usage, 84% increase in SNAP transactions, and 234% increase in total SNAP sales Changes/Problems:COVID-19 has been the biggest disruption to the Fresh Bucks programs in Year 2 but has also resulted in an increase of SNAP customers at market. Market managers have less time than ever to assist with Ambassador recruitment and training and many community events have been cancelled resulting in less program exposure in the community. Due to COVID-19, program staff were unable to do in-person market visits this year and the beginning of the season training was delayed. In addition, two farmers markets that participated in Fresh Bucks in 2019 decided not to open in 2020 due to COVID-19. However the increase in SNAP use has more than made up for the markets that did not open. Despite these challenges the Fresh Bucks program is meeting thegoals and benchmarks of the original application. We are also very happy to providing such a beneficial program to families newly experiencing food insecurity due to the pandemic. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Project staff conducted 15 in-person, online, or phone Fresh Bucks trainings with the market managers and volunteers. These trainings included information on proper record keeping & reporting, community outreach, and overview of the FINI project's goals and requirements. These trainings allowed for smooth program implementation. In addition to providing technical assistance to the 15 Fresh Bucks markets, project staff also assisted 14 other NC farmers markets, mobile markets, and farmers during the reporting period. This assistance included in-person trainings, phone calls, and emails and covered topics like SNAP certification, finding SNAP equipment, fundraising for incentive programs, and other food access related topics. RAFI-USA and partner organizations began an ongoing state-wide farmers market manager call in March 2020. The focus of these calls were to support market managers as they navigate COVID-19 adaptations and continue to advise on topics such as: COVID-19 precautions, employee morale, customer service during COVID-19, and navigating the state's rules and regulations related to farmers markets. Program staff attended the state's Food Council Conference on Food Access in February 2020. This professional development conference focused on SNAP at farmers markets and connecting with communities in rural areas How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results from 2019 surveys were analyzed by program staff and shared with market managers during preseason meetings. These results helped guide managers in planning the year's outreach with community members and assist with the best way in advertising to the community. Top survey results from the first half of Year Two are as follows: When asked how the fruits and vegetables at the farmers market compared to fruits and vegetables at other food outlets: 60% of SNAP shoppers said the price at the farmers market was the same, slightly lower, or much lower 82% of SNAP shoppers said the quality at the farmers market was slightly better or much better When asked whether SNAP shoppers would continue to shop at the farmers market if Fresh Bucks were no longer available: 39% of SNAP shoppers said they would be less likely or not likely to keep shopping at the market When asked how long they traveled to shop at the farmers market: 45% of SNAP shoppers traveled 10 minutes or less to shop at the market 46% of SNAP shoppers traveled 11-30 minutes to shop at the market Women were overwhelmingly more likely to use Fresh Bucks at the farmers market than men; 83% women, 15% men, 2% other The majority of SNAP shoppers identified as White (62%), followed by 31% Black shoppers, 4% Latinx, and 3% other Almost half of SNAP shoppers fell between the ages of 26-40 (46%), followed by 35% ages 41-65, 11% older than 65, and 8% ages 18-25 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 A.1. SNAP purchases increased from Year 1 to Year 2. As mentioned in the Target Audience section, we don't have a complete baseline from Y1 due to a delay in starting the program. From Y1 to Y2, SNAP purchases increased 3,755%. A more accurate depiction of change in SNAP purchases is reflected when comparing SNAP sales in 2019 with SNAP sales during the Y2 reporting period - both timeframes reflect a full farmers market season. Comparing these two time periods, SNAP sales increased 234%. One major contributor to this increase was the addition of the Durham Co-op Market to the Fresh Bucks program. Goal A.2. Fresh Bucks EBT incentives were available at 12 farmers markets during the reporting period, in addition to one sub-award mobile market and one co-op grocery store. Prior to the 2020 season, the Richmond Farmers Market dropped out due to lack in capacity to successfully run the Fresh Bucks market. Goal A.3. Plans have been developed to assist markets with graduating off the Fresh Bucks program and will be utilized in the next reporting period. One market is confirmed to graduate off the Fresh Bucks program in November 2020 and another two markets are expected to graduate off in Year 3. Goal A.4. Five non-traditional markets were able to successfully implement SNAP programs and/or incentive programs due to training and outreach provided by program staff. This included a cooperative CSA model with nine farmers of color; developed due to COVID market disruptions. Goal A.5. Fresh Bucks incentives were provided to Feast Down East Mobile Market in the amount of a $3,500 subgrant. Fresh Bucks incentives were provided to Durham Co-op Market SNAP customers in the amount of $19,971. The Tidal Creek Co-op Market has been identified as the second co-op market to work with but, due to COVID-19, Fresh Bucks program implementation has been postponed. Goal B.1. During meetings with program staff, market managers developed a plan to speak with at least one community partner. Partners reached included WIC offices, Senior Centers, DHHS offices, SNAP DHS offices, community centers, and churches. Outreach included providing postcards and information on Fresh Bucks programs and presentations to community members at local offices. All markets are currently meeting this goal. Goal B.2. Two farmers markets currently have Fresh Bucks ambassadors that assist with outreach, provide guidance to market leadership, and assist SNAP customers navigate the market and guidance on how to use Fresh Bucks tokens. Some other market managers had plans to implement the Ambassador program during the 2020 season, however they were required to provide their time towards COVID-19 mitigation efforts at market and did not have time available to train new staff. Goal B.3. The Produce Box program had greater success during this reporting period and provided $1,381 in fruits and vegetables to customers that did not have any funds remaining on their SNAP/EBT card. In Year Two, five Fresh Bucks markets offered Produce Box to customers.
Publications
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Progress 06/15/18 to 06/14/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Over the reporting period, our project has successfully reached two of our main target audiences. The first target audience is farmers markets serving low-income communities, with an emphasis on farmers markets in eastern NC. First, we reestablished communications with 8 of the farmers markets we worked with on an previously-funded incentive program. Of those 8 markets, 7 were able to offer the incentive program during their 2019 season. All 7 markets were located in counties with the percentage of people in poverty above the national average (12.3% in 2017, US Census). This poverty percentage ranged from 16-25%. In addition to these 7 returning markets we also recruited and onboarded 4 new farmers markets to provide the Fresh Bucks program. With an emphasis on working with farmers markets in eastern NC (where SNAP participation is greater) we conducted outreach through organizational partners, agencies, and listservs. After reviewing applicants we selected 4 farmers markets, all located in eastern NC. Three of the four markets are located in counties with 25-28% of the population living in poverty; among the highest poverty rates in the state. In addition to these 11 farmers markets we provided an incentive subaward to a mobile market in Wilmington, NC. We also began conversations with a food co-op in Durham, NC (where the poverty rate is 17%) to incorporate expanded incentive funding into their food access programs. So far, our interaction with this target audience has largely been through in-person trainings regarding Fresh Bucks program implementation and coordination. Project staff has also communicated through emails and calls to provide technical assistance as needed. The second target audience is SNAP customers who shop at the Fresh Bucks farmers markets. The Wilmington mobile market began operating Fresh Bucks in January 2019 with most other markets starting in May or June 2019. Because of this, the number of SNAP customers reached in Year 1 is not an accurate representation of the project's true impact. However, the Fresh Bucks markets did have a total of 588 SNAP transactions during the reporting period, with a total of $4,030 in SNAP sales. At this point, project staff have no direct interaction with SNAP customers; only through the farmers markets coordinating the SNAP incentive program. However, all the Fresh Bucks farmers markets are administering SNAP customer surveys. These surveys include demographic questions such as age, race, and gender. Once this data is compiled and analyzed in late 2019 it will provide us with greater detail of who the SNAP customers are that farmers markets are reaching. Changes/Problems:Although our official FINI grant period began June 2018, our proposed project timeline did not start until January 2019. Because of this we do not have a year's worth of farmers market operations or corresponding data to report on. However, we are largely on track with our proposed project timeline and do not see any major changes or issues that may interfere with it in the future. One major challenge this reporting year was the delayed start to farmers market openings or interruption of SNAP/incentive transactions. This has occurred at 6 of our 12 farmers markets. Some problems have included poor health of market managers or SNAP assistants that led to either cancelled markets or no SNAP and incentive processing for weeks or months. At another farmers market their EBT machine was stolen from the supply shed and prevented them from offering SNAP and incentives for a month while they replaced the equipment. One market is still unable to accept SNAP because of unforeseen delays with their county's financial department. Another market had their market manager move on to a different position, and they are still working on filling the manager position. We are still working with the county's Extension office to see how they can continue to manage the market with limited funds and capacity. All of these combined, unpreventable issues have led to short or prolonged delays in SNAP and incentive availability to customers. This has reflected in our incentive redemption rates. Because of this, we may consider recruiting more farmers markets to participate in the program in order to redeem all incentive funding. As mentioned in the goals section, we also experienced delays with the implementation of our SNAP Ambassador pilot project. The biggest issue has been recruiting people to serve in this role. As we originally designed it, we thought managers would recruit SNAP customers who already frequented the market. However, for the markets that could most use this type of Ambassador support, there has proved to be little capacity for the managers to do the recruitment. Going into Year 2 we expect the project staff to play a more active role in helping with recruitment, hiring, and training so less is required from already busy managers. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Project staff conducted 10 in-person Fresh Bucks trainings with the market managers and volunteers. These trainings included information on proper record keeping & reporting, community outreach, and overview of the FINI project's goals and requirements. These trainings allowed for smooth program implementation. Outside of working with the Fresh Bucks markets, project staff led an extended workshop for any farmers market managers on topics including SNAP certification and food access at the Come to the Table Conference in March 2019. This workshop was attended by 17 people. Project staff also facilitated a half-day listening session in January 2019 with around 15 community and organizational supporters of urban pop-up markets in Asheville, NC. This listening session included guidance on how to increase food access to low-income communities and how to increase organizational capacity and sustainability. In addition to providing technical assistance to the 12 Fresh Bucks markets, project staff also assisted 12 other NC farmers markets and mobile markets during the reporting period. This assistance included in-person trainings, phone calls, and emails and covered topics like SNAP certification, finding SNAP equipment, fundraising for incentive programs, and other food access related topics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Since we will not complete our evaluation of the 2019 market season until the end of the year, we do not yet have results to disseminate; however at the end of each season we will report back to the participating markets with a summary of their EBT and incentive data, as well as a summary of their customer survey results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The only changes to note to the agency-approved applicationare: because of combined unpreventable separate issues at 6 of our markets (as mentioned in the changes/problems section), we may consider recruiting more farmers markets than planned to participate in the program in order to redeem all incentive funding. we expect the project staff to play a more active role in helping with recruitment, hiring, and training of SNAP Ambassadors so that less is required from already busy market managers.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the reporting period, the following has been accomplished in regards to our project goals and outcomes. Goal A.1. - We will not have the data for participating markets' full seasons until the end of 2019. This will also establish the baseline sales data for our newly recruited markets. In regards to our 7 returning markets, 3 did not accept SNAP during the reporting period due to manager illness, SNAP equipment issues, and manager transition (See challenges section). But for the 4 markets with EBT sales during the reporting period we did see a collective 15% increase in SNAP sales from the beginning of their 2019 season to end of June in comparison with 2017 SNAP sales over that same time period. Given the small sample size and time period, we expect to get a better idea of actual SNAP sale changes at the end of the 2019 market season. Goal A.2 - Over the reporting period we began implementing the Fresh Bucks program at 12 farmers markets and mobile markets. This includes 7 returning farmers and mobile markets, 1 new mobile market, and 4 new farmers markets. 6 of these markets were actively accepting SNAP and offering Fresh Bucks incentives during the reporting period. The other 6 were in the early stages of program implementation and have since started accepting SNAP while a few others have run into challenges that have delayed SNAP and incentive implementation. We are on track to work with the same markets and add a few additional markets in Year 2. Goal A.3 - As this is the first year of our FINI grant, we did not graduate any markets from the Fresh Bucks program in order to have one complete market season of sales and evaluation data. However we do plan to include conversations about finding independent funding sources during the end-of-season market manager conversations. Goal A.4 - During the reporting period, project staff assisted two NC mobile markets with the process of SNAP certification and/or acquiring SNAP processing equipment. In addition, we worked with a returning mobile market that started a new food box delivery program. This involved technical assistance on how to incorporate SNAP sales into the food box side of their operation. Goal A.5 - We provided a Fresh Bucks incentive subaward to Feast Down East in Wilmington, NC in January 2019. Since then they have accepted SNAP and EBT incentives at their 10 sites. In August 2018 project staff also met with the store manager at the Durham Market Co-op to discuss how to incorporate Fresh Bucks incentives into their existing food access program. We anticipate offering this incentive starting November 2019. One of the new Fresh Bucks farmers markets is located next to a food co-op in Wilmington, NC. We plan to begin conversations in Year 2 to see if they may be able to accept Fresh Bucks incentives as well. Goal B.1 - As of this report, we do not have quantitative data on the number of community partnerships helping markets with promotions. However, we will incorporate a question regarding community partnerships into our end-of-season market manager conversations in late 2019. Anecdotally, project staff is aware of at least one community partner connected with the majority of the participating markets. Most of these partners have assisted with promotion by distributing informational postcards to clients and community members. Goal B.2 - The implementation of the SNAP Ambassador program has been the greatest challenge in Year 1 of this project. We have laid the groundwork by developing SNAP ambassador job descriptions, applications, training guides, and resources but the recruitment of people to serve in this role has stagnated the whole process. See the major changes/problems section for more information on how we plan to address this in Year 2. Goal B.3 - As the Produce Box is a new component of our previously existing incentive program, we have had a slow adoption rate with our Fresh Bucks markets. In Year 1, one farmers market chose to incorporate Produce Box into their food access offerings. We plan to work with this market near the end of the season to identify best practices that can be applied to other markets in the following years.
Publications
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