Season Opener on Wednesday May 2nd
Days and Hours for 2012
Wednesdays & Saturdays 8 AM – 1 PM, (May 2nd – October)
Mondays 2 PM – 6 PM, (June 4 – September 24)
We are looking forward to the Season Opener on Wednesday May 2nd and plan on having quite a bit of stuff… Plants, honey, meats, eggs, jams and jellies, baked goods, canned goods, and more. It’ll be nice seeing everyone again.
Now Accepting EBT at Grand Rapids Farmers Market
SNAP/EBT and Market Bucks sign
The Market will now be able to accept SNAP/EBT cards (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) and Credit/Debit cards.
We are also participating in the Market Bucks Program from Blue Cross and MFMA (Minnesota Farmers Market Association.) “Market Bucks” coupons match the first $5 in EBT card purchases with an additional $5 in Market Bucks each market day. If $5 in Markets Bucks were collected on all 69 market days and redeemed, that equals an additional $345 to feed one’s family good nutritious food.
Now it’s easier for Grand Rapids area residents on food support to eat healthier! On May 2nd, 2012 Grand Rapids Farmers Market will begin accepting EBT at the market. Anyone receiving SNAP benefits and using an EBT card will be able to swipe his or her card at our market booth for tokens to spend on eligible food items (including seeds and plants which produce food for them to eat.)
To promote this new service, we are also offering Market Bucks, a new incentive program for food support recipients. The program, which has been made possible by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, matches a customer’s first $5 spent in eligible market purchases with Market Bucks coupons. This $5 per day incentive will help make fruits and vegetables more affordable and encourages healthier eating among recipients. When Market Bucks was piloted at a Minneapolis farmers market in 2010, six out of ten repeat market customers said the program increased their fruit and vegetable consumption.
About SNAP/EBT and Market Bucks
Grand Rapids Farmers Market proudly accepts EBT & offers Market Bucksthis season!
How it works: Using your SNAP benefits with EBT at the market is easy!
- Visit the information desk and swipe your EBT card for the equivalent amount of money you’d like to spend.
- You’ll receive tokens for your transaction amount and if you spend $5 you’ll receive $5 in Market Bucks coupons* to purchase even more! (*Up to $5.00 per market day).
- Use your tokens and coupons like cash with eligible market vendors. Look for the “EBT Accepted Here” sign, or ask the vendor if they accept EBT. Please note that vendors cannot give cash back in exchange for either tokens or Market Bucks coupon.
For more information about Market Bucks and the Markets where you can use them, you can download a brochure in English, Spanish, Hmong, or Somali.
We are asking everyone’s help in getting the word out about this great program that helps people eat good healthy food.
Jaycees Home & Sport Show – March 16-18
The Market had a nice display at the show, with Great River Gardens, providing the plants. We heard 6,000 people went thru the show.
There were 397 entries in our Produce drawing, and 3 Winners were drawn Sunday afternoon. They will pick up their boxes of goodies later in the season.
Here are a couple of last years winners:
Other Events:
We also had a booth at the Master Gardeners’ Spring Fling on March 24, and at the Children’s Fair on April 28. There was another Produce drawing at the Children’s Fair, the lucky winner will be able to pick up their box later in the season.
How to join the Market
To Become a Vendor at the Grand Rapids Farmers Market visit: www.grfarmersmarket.org/how-to-join or stop by the Market.
Details, bylaws, rules, and an application are available on the website.
The application period for joining the Market in 2012 ends May 31.
Get your application in early if you’d like to join the Market. You can attend the last Market Meeting before the Season Opener for more information or to submit an application.
Market members will meet on 30 April 2012 at 6 pm in the Grand Rapids Public Works meeting room (500 SE 4th Street, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.) to finish preparing for the Wednesday, May 2nd Season Opener.
Free ebook of Recipes on May 2nd and 3rd. Check it out if you have a Kindle, PC, Mac, iPad, Smartphone, or other reader. Favorite Farmers Markets Recipes from Market member Kent Lorentzen is scheduled to be free on May 2nd and 3rd.
If you haven’t visited the Market’s Facebook page you might want to check it out. It gets quite a few folks stopping by.
