A Mutually Beneficial Program': How the Corvallis Indoor Winter Farmers Market meets community need

By NATALIE SHARP Beaver's Digest Contributor

Bright fresh fruits and vegetables line the walkway of the Benton Oaks RV campground on Corvallis’ wintery Saturday mornings. With protection from Oregon’s rainy winter months, the Corvallis Indoor Winter Farmers Market runs from Jan. 14 through April 8 in the Benton County Fairgrounds and meets several needs in the community.

“(The market) fills a gap for a number of producers who have the ability to sell during what is the off-season for most markets,” said Lynne Miller, the manager of the CIWFM. Very few local farmers' markets in Oregon operate through winter months and if they do, most only have a select few weekends that they run. The CIWFM gives vendors a weekly reliable site throughout the winter and gives local residents continued resources to buy locally. The other major need it meets is for individuals receiving the Oregon trail SNAP or EBT benefits. SNAP is a federally-funded program providing a monthly stipend for most cold food items. College students aged 18 to 49 who attend school at least half-time may be eligible for SNAP by meeting income guidelines and additional criteria.

The farmers market works to be accommodating with the use of SNAP and has a special Double Up Food Bucks program where, if you spend $20 of your SNAP dollars at a participating farmers market, they will match up to $20 so people can spend a total of $40 dollars on locally grown fruits and vegetables.

This program is also available at most of the farmers’ markets in Linn and Benton counties, along with many others in Oregon, explained Rebecca Landis, the market director of the Corvallis-Albany

Farmers’ Markets.

Yet, the CIWFM is one of the only consistent markets to run through winter.

Each participating farmers market has its own "currency" and that currency is only valid at that specific market. The CIWFM gives out wooden tokens when matching SNAP payments. A token purchased at CIWM that can only be spent at CIWM and does not expire. However, any DUFB received at any market can be spent at any participating farmers' market.

Tokens can be spent on the typical SNAP items, and the DUFB is exclusive to fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, beans and vegetable starts.

The program creates a win-win situation, Miller said.

“Vendors benefit greatly because when the

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