| |
| |
So Your Market/Farm is SNAP Authorized and You Received Your SNAP/EBT Equipment, What's Next? | |
Creating a vibrant and successful market that attracts both regular and SNAP/EBT customers requires time, commitment, and sometimes creativity. Some of the best ways to promote your SNAP program include: outreaching with your community centers, leaving flyers at local businesses, and establishing connections with anti-poverty, anti-hunger groups, and your local health centers. | |
| |
| |
The MarketLink team has been hard at work collaborating with USDA on getting online SNAP going for farmers and markets. It is a completely new initiative for USDA, so establishing new procedures, navigating the various security considerations, and building new technology connections takes time. If you are interested in being updated on this project, please fill out our brief survey here.
| |
| |
Market Spotlight: Hanalei Farmers' Market | |
| |
This month’s market spotlight is on the Hanalei Farmers' Market, a weekly market on the north shore of Kaua'i, Hawaii. This market is hosted by a 501(c)3 nonprofit community center that was started more than 27 years ago. When asked what pushed the farmers market to begin accepting SNAP/EBT, the market stated that maintaining affordability of delicious local produce for the community became apparent in 2020. With no other farmers marketing accepting SNAP/EBT on the north shore of Kauai, the Hanalei market stepped up to ensure that would change. In 2021, they received the SNAP@ Markets mini-grant from the Hawaii Farmers Market Association to help launch their SNAP program. Since then, the market has been using their MarketLink TotilPay equipment to accept SNAP/EBT. They’ve also opted for the TotilPay POS system and paper invoices instead of a token system in order to streamline their accounting process and ensure that all funds go directly back to the farmer. | |
| |
And while we’re on the topic of creative outreach strategies, the Hanalei Farmers Market was very creative with their own marketing. Besides increasing awareness about their SNAP program through outlets such as radio and print advertisements, social media, newsletter, and their website, the market has hired an artist to paint a vibrant SNAP sign that attracts and welcomes SNAP participants to the market.
Thank you Kaylee for sharing about the market with us and thank you to the Hanalei Farmers Market for your work!
We will be posting more photos of the Hanalei Farmers Market on our Instagram and Facebook in the upcoming week. Visit our social media pages you'd like to see a closeup of their awesome SNAP sign. | |
If you received SNAP/EBT equipment from us and want to share your story as well, please send photos and stories to news@marketlink.org or send us an email to schedule an interview.
To be featured, please send us the following:
- 1-5 photos of your farm and/or market
- A few sentences about what you are up to and how you've benefited from the equipment.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Food Sovereignty Symposium & Festival
May 20-22, 2022 Keweenaw Bay Indian Community & Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan
The symposium is bringing producers and consumers together to share agriculture knowledge from an Indigenous lens while educating people on the process of decolonizing food systems and reestablishing an intimate relationship with plants, animals and one another. The event will also include cooking demonstrations, presentations, and entertainment. Cost to attend varies.
| |
| |
| |
"Food Stamped" Documentary Discussion (Virtual)
May 27 at 3:00 pm PT Online
Join the University of California, Merced for a discussion with “Food Stamped” film director, Yoav Potash. The film is about a nutritionist and her filmmaker spouse’s journey in trying to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget. The documentary includes insightful interviews with farmers market organizers and participants.
You can watch the film for free on TubiTV.com. The event is free and open to the public. | |
| |
| |
| |
MarketLink IT Specialist/Developer
MarketLink is looking for an experienced developer that can assist with the design and build of systems to maximize value to our stakeholders and project impact. Full stack preferred but we will consider the right Front-End candidate who is a match for our needs. MarketLink is building new solutions that have not been implemented before; the infrastructure you help build will be the foundation for the future of MarketLink while solving issues for current customers.
Click on the button below to view the full job description and how to apply. | |
| |
RFP: Veggie Van Training Center & Mobile Market Coalition Strategic Planning Consultant
The Veggie Van Training Center seeks a qualified professional or firm to create a strategic plan that will position the Mobile Market Coalition (MMC) and Veggie Van Training Center (VVTC) to better support mobile markets with training, networking, mentoring, and connection to regional resources by focusing on two primary goals: Develop an operational structure for the MMC and VVTC that allows for integration rather than duplication Develop a 3-year Strategic Plan for the MMC and VVTC, with a focus on how these entities will interact and or operate independently going forward
Proposal due May 30th, 2022. | |
| |
| |
| |
Meet Uyen Huynh, MarketLink’s Communications and Marketing Specialist!
Based in Kingston, NY, Uyen has roots in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Bridgeport, CT. Growing up in the Vietnamese-American diaspora where food took centerfold as the connection to the homeland, it was natural for Uyen to gravitate towards the sustainable food movement and everything food related. | | | |
Her fondest memories of her food journey include picking truckloads of crab apples during what felt like the coldest week in Vermont, collecting food waste for GrowNYC’s composting program, and cool mornings picking Sungold tomatoes and way too many hornworms while farming in upstate NY. All experiences always ended with incredible gratitude for the community of growers, pickers, advocates, and educators pushing the local food movement along.
Uyen’s favorite part about working with MarketLink is being able to not only support the local food economy but also support those impacted by food insecurity. She holds an M.S in Urban Sustainability from the City College of New York. | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
MarketLink is a program of the National Association of Farmers Markets Nutrition Programs (NAFMNP). ©2022 MarketLink
| |
| |
