DOUBLE MARKET BUCKS PROGRAM Reducing Local Food Insecurity and Strengthening the Local Food Economy
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
A MESSAGE FROM MARKET STAFF November 2020 concluded our seventh successful season of the Double Market Bucks (DMB) program and our first season held during a pandemic! Thanks to a generous anonymous donation to the Bloomington Parks Foundation, we were able to increase SNAP benefits by $9 from $18 to $27. This eased access to fresh farm products for members of our community who experienced food insecurity, a number which has almost doubled in 2020 according to Indiana Public Media. This helped our community by allowing us to distribute $9,537 in additional funds. In 2020, Double Market Bucks Program participants purchased almost $20,000 in fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy, breads, as well as seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat. Thanks to the generous support of the Bloomington Hospital Foundation Grant, the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market tripled benefits for WIC and senior qualifying individuals. This turned a $24 benefit into a $72 benefit to use at the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market. This allowed us to distribute $8,034 to WIC participants and $4,851 to senior participants. Area 10 on Aging provided volunteer shoppers for senior participants or those who are homebound or unable to attend inperson due to health and safety concerns during the pandemic. Since it was enacted in 2013, the Double Market Bucks program has increased food security in Bloomington and the surrounding areas and strengthened the local food economy. While participation in the Market Bucks Program decreased slightly in 2020 from previous years, that is to be expected during a global pandemic. However, those who did participate in the Double Market Bucks program were able to have even more access to fresh, nutritious, and locally grown produce this year due to the enhanced benefits enacted during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Double Market Bucks Program has several purposes: • Reduce local food insecurity. • Strengthen the local food economy. • Promote healthy lifestyles among SNAP customers. • Increase access to nutritious foods available at Farmers’ Market. • Increase direct marketing opportunities for Farmers’ Market vendors. The following report shows how we attempt to accomplish these goals, and the status of Double Market Bucks spending during the 2020 Market season. As a Community Farmers’ Market, we feel strongly that we need to do everything in our power to support our community and increase food security. This work would not be possible without the incredible assistance from our community partners. Sincerely, Market Staff
MARKET AT A GLANCE The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, founded in 1975, has been enriching lives in the community for 45 years. By providing a place for residents and visitors to come together in a festive atmosphere, the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market allows customers to buy local produce and other farm products directly from the growers. The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market’s mission aims to support small farmers and gardeners, securing a local food source, and promoting food security in our community. Food security and the importance of local food economies was highlighted this year amidst a global pandemic where national food supply chains were interrupted from seed companies to processing plants and everywhere in between. We are fortunate that the local health department deemed farmers markets "essential businesses," and vendors and market staff as "essential workers," allowing us to remain open during the height of the pandemic. Market staff, vendors, and customers showed resilience and adaptation as we moved the market, first to a drive-thru model, then to a pre-order only model, and finally to a model where on site shopping was possible with COVID safety precautions in place. While COVID-19 presented some challenges to the usual market experience - vendors' businesses were challenged by the pandemic and associated restrictions, musical performances, busking, and Info Alley were eliminated, on-site food consumption was prohibited, and events such as the Salsa Contest and the Tomato, Apple, and Soup Tastings were cancelled - we are grateful to all involved for being flexible and staying the course during so much hardship and uncertainty. While visitor counts were lower than in the past, customers who did attend made meaningful contributions to the local economy and expressed gratitude for continued access to fresh, nutritious local food during such trying times.
QUICK FACTS
Saturdays April-September
8 a.m.-1 p.m. Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. Saturdays October-November
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Bloomington City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. Tuesdays June-September
4 p.m.-7 p.m. Pavilion at Switchyard Park, 1601 S. Rogers St.
39,851 Customers
attended the Saturday and Tuesday Markets 8,137 Online Orders fulfilled
during the 2020 Market Season 55 Vendors
contracted to sell at Saturday and Tuesday Markets
WHAT IS THE DOUBLE MARKET PROGRAM? To increase food access regardless of income, the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market began accepting SNAP benefits in 2007 through the Market Bucks program. In 2013 the Farmers’ Market, with the support of the Bloomington Parks Foundation, began an incentive program called Double Market Bucks to match SNAP purchases at the Market. When customers with SNAP benefits purchase Market Bucks, they receive a matching dollar amount (up to $27 per visit - a $9 increase from 2019) 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, dairy, and food bearing seeds and plants for the household to eat.
HOW TO OBTAIN MARKET BUCKS SNAP customers purchase Market Bucks during the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market hours by swiping their Hoosier Works debit card on the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machine. During the Saturday Farmers’ Market, Market staff facilitate transactions at the front desk of City Hall. During the Tuesday Market, customers can obtain Market Bucks from the Market Information Table. Customers are welcome to exchange as many SNAP dollars they wish, in $3 increments; they will receive doubled Market Bucks up to $27. The entire transaction process takes just a few minutes to complete.
HOW OFTEN DO VENDORS GET PAID? The frequency of vendor reimbursement depends on the vendor. Some vendors submit their Market Bucks for reimbursement after every Market, others wait a few weeks, or the entire season. Once they submit their Market Bucks to the Farmers’ Market staff, their reimbursement is processed within a couple of weeks.
2020 v. 2019 Market Bucks Data $30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
2020
2019 EBT
2020
2019
Double Market Bucks
2020
2019
Total Combined
19,860
SPENT THROUGH SNAP + DMB PURCHASES
46.73
AVERAGE TRANSACTION
6,620
MARKET BUCKS REDEEMED
118
UNIQUE HOUSEHOLDS PARTICIPATED
In 2020, the program served 118 unique households totaling 425 transactions. Households served is down from 158 households in 2019 with a total of 789 transactions. Each of the 118 households participated in the program an average of 3.46 times spending $46.73 per transaction. In 2020, the Market Bucks program had a higher average transaction price than 2019 with a difference of $10.37 per transaction. The increase in average transactions is most likely due to the doubling benefit enacted at the start of the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market season, keeping more dollars in the Market. Customers using SNAP and DMB benefits made $19,860 worth of purchases in 2020. The DMB program allowed participants to purchase $9,537 worth of produce in addition to their SNAP dollars. The challenges of 2020 reinforced the importance of local food security, and we are proud to demonstrate the impact of programs like Double Market Bucks, which helps ease access to fresh, nutritious foods for people who are experiencing food insecurity in Bloomington. Many thanks to all involved in supporting this program!
THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS Bloomingfoods Market & Deli Bloomington Housing Authority 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 Cooperation Monroe County United Ministries Mother Hubbard's Cupboard Salvation Army of Bloomington South Central Community Action Program
CONTACT INFORMATION Leslie Brinson Bloomington Community Farmers' Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department 812-349-3700 brinsonl@bloomington.in.gov
Bloomington Community Farmers' Market @btownfarmersmarketin
Photo credit Merrill Hatlen