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!

1. Visit the information desk and swipe your EBT card for the equivalent amount of money you’d like to spend.
2. 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).
3. 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.

Items on the agenda will include advertizing and Vendor participation with Market promotions.

SNAP/EBT and Market Bucks sign

SNAP/EBT and Market Bucks promotion and booth staffing.

Insurance for the market and market staff.

Reviewing any new membership applications.

Reminder: Membership applications and Member renewals along with Dues ($50) are due by May 31st or your first market day, whichever comes first.

Current members please fill out and sign your forms (We want to keep up to date:

• Membership Form
• Code of Conduct
• MN tax form ST19

If you need a license for any products you sell, please include a copy of your license with your forms.

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, plus a few new things. (More details, coming later.) It’ll be nice seeing everyone again.

Jaycees Home & Sport Show – March 16-18

The Market will be having a booth at the 45th Annual Jaycee’s Home, Sport & Travel Show @ IRA Civic Center. Show hours: Friday 4-9p, Saturday 10a-7p, Sunday 10a-4p.

We will be having a drawing for boxes of produce again this year. Stop by and sign up for the drawing, plus find out what we have planned for the coming season.
Here are a couple of last years winners:

The Market will be having a table with information about the market.

NEW for 2012

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.

We are asking everyone’s help in getting the word out about this great program that helps people eat good healthy food.

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 at the website link.

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.

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.

Hope everyone had a Great Winter!

More Info
The first meeting of the year involves election of officers, setting membership dues and vendor fees, start up dates, discuss advertising, and other preparations for the coming season.

Wednesdays – 8 am – 1 pm
Saturdays – 8 am – 1 pm
and New This Year: Mondays – 3 pm – 7 pm

Plant and goodies early in 2009 Farmers Market season

Some of the Goodies available for the Season Opener and following Market days will be… Jams, Jellies, Baked goods, Eggs, Honey, Maple Syrup, Meats (Chicken, Pork, Beef), plus plants of all kinds (flowers, hanging baskets, perennials, vegetable plants.)

Another happening is… Our Website has had a Makeover. Hopefully everything is working the way it should. Check out the links to some of the Market member’s websites, member interviews on KAXE radio, and pictures of the market from past years. Speaking of websites… Have you checked out our Facebook page? We’ll try to post updates on our website and facebook thru the season. We’ll also have updates on KAXE radio, too.

More Info
The first meeting of the year involves election of officers, setting membership dues and vendor fees, start up dates, and policy changes.

Stop in and stroll around. Looking for something in particular? ask a vendor. If one of us doesn’t have it we may be able to point you in the direction of someone who does.

Remember that we can only sell produce that is grown within a fifty mile radius of Grand Rapids, so you won’t be finding oranges or bananas, and you won’t be finding corn or melons yet either. But keep checking back, as things are starting to pick up.

I hope to see you soon.