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2017 Annual Report Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department
A Message from the Farmers’ Market Coordinator
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ovember marked the successful end of our fifth full season of the Double Market Bucks program. We were able to offer Double Market Bucks at our Saturday and Tuesday Markets in 2017 thanks to a generous, anonymous donation to the Bloomington Parks Foundation. The main objective of the program is to incentivize families accessing federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase healthy, local foods at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market while simultaneously expanding the customer base for our farmers. National SNAP usage has been in decline since December 2012. Economic recovery from the recession triggered this decline, but in recent years, policy changes have reduced the number of individuals eligible for the SNAP program. In April 2017 there were approximately 75,000 fewer individuals receiving SNAP benefits in Indiana than in April 2016.
Marcia Veldman, Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market Coordinator
Despite the decline in Indiana SNAP users, the number of SNAP purchases and customers at Market in 2017 held relatively steady with those of 2016. Our program’s resiliency in an era of decreased SNAP benefits demonstrates its necessity to our community. This year’s trends reaffirm our mission. Bloomington-area SNAP users are voting with their dollars, and we are proud to be able to ease their access to fresh local foods. In this report, we describe trends for the following outcomes of interest: 1. Increased SNAP purchases 2. Increased SNAP customers We found the following from our 2017 data: • A total of $34,089 was spent through SNAP purchases at the Market during the 2017 season. • Customers purchasing Market Bucks completed more than 950 transactions • SNAP purchases peaked in July at $5,271, up 10% from July 2016. • On average, participating households purchased Market Bucks twice per month. The non-profit group Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report estimates that the 2017 food insecurity rate of Monroe County was 18%. 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. Best regards,
Marcia Veldman Farmers’ Market Coordinator
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The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market and the Double Market Bucks Program The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market was founded in 1975 and has been growing ever since. For 43 years, the Farmers’ Market has enriched the lives of the community by providing a place for residents and visitors to come together in a festive atmosphere to buy local produce and other farm products directly from the growers. The Farmers’ Market’s mission aims to support small farmers and gardeners, securing a local food source. To further the mission and increase access to the Market for all residents regardless of income, the Farmers’ Market began accepting SNAP benefits in 2007 through the Market Bucks program. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in December 2016 there were 24,153 households (approximately 8%) in Indiana District 9 enrolled in the SNAP program. The Farmers’ Market, with the support of the Bloomington Parks Foundation, in 2013 began an incentive program called Double Market Bucks to match SNAP purchases at Market. When SNAP customers purchase Market Bucks, they receive a matching dollar amount (up to $18 per visit) in additional Market Bucks to use at the Farmers’ Market. Market Bucks are paper vouchers that come in $3 increments and may be used like cash to purchase fresh, locally produced fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, eggs, and cheeses. SNAP customers purchase Market Bucks during Farmers’ Market hours by swiping their Hoosier Works debit card on the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machine. Double Market Bucks has several goals: • Long-term goal 1: Reduce local food insecurity. • Long-term goal 2: Strengthen local food economy. • Long-term goal 3: Promote healthy lifestyles among SNAP customers. • Short-term goal 1: Increase access to nutritious foods available at Farmers’ Market. • Short-term goal 2: Increase direct marketing opportunities for Farmers’ Market vendors. We are primarily interested in evaluating the following outcomes, related to some, but not all, of the overall program goals: • Outcome 1: Increase purchases by SNAP customers. • Outcome 2: Increase total number of SNAP customers. We must note that the statistics included in this report are descriptive only. We are unable to make causal claims until a more rigorous evaluation takes place.
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Outcome 1: Increase purchases by SNAP customers.
Saturday Market The Saturday Market is held on the Showers Common 8am-1pm between April and September, and 9am1pm in October and November. In 2016, the total amount of SNAP purchase and Market Bucks matching totaled $29,958 at the Saturday market, and customers purchased an average of $34.24 Market Bucks per capita. In 2017, Market Buck and SNAP purchases totaled $30,333 at the Saturday Market, and increase of over 1%. Customers purchased an average of $34.59 Market Bucks per capita.
Figure 1. Total SNAP purchases per month at the Saturday Farmers’ Market
Tuesday Market The Tuesday Market is held between the months of June and September, 4-7pm, on the corner of Sixth and Madison Streets. In 2016, the total amount of SNAP purchases and Market Bucks matching was $3,657 at the Tuesday Market. Customers purchased an average of $32.65 Market Bucks. In 2017, Tuesday Market SNAP and Market Bucks purchases increased 2% to $3,756. Average Market Buck purchases per capita increased slightly to $33.54. Figure 2. Total SNAP purchases per month at the Tuesday Farmers’ Market
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Outcome 2: Increase total number of SNAP customers.
Saturday Market In 2016, there were a total of 863 SNAP transactions at the Saturday Market between April and November, averaging 25 SNAP customers per Market. In 2017, there were a total of 847 transactions, averaging 24 SNAP customers per market. Figure 3. Total SNAP customers per month at the Saturday Farmers’ Market
Tuesday Market In 2016, there were a total of 110 SNAP transactions at the Tuesday Market, with an average of 6 SNAP customers per market. In 2017, 106 SNAP transactions occurred, averaging 6 customers per market.
Figure 4. Total SNAP customers per month at the Tuesday Farmers’ Market
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Contact Information Marcia Veldman Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market Coordinator City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department 812.349.3700 veldmanm@bloomington.in.gov Kiran Singh Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs Service Corps Fellow Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department 812.349.3700 singhk@bloomington.in.gov
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
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Monroe County Health Department Monroe County Community School Corporation Monroe County United Ministries Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard Salvation Army of Bloomington South Central Community Action Program
Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department bloomington.in.gov/farmersmarket
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