December 17th, 2018

Farmers' Market Access and Equity Program Newsletter

The latest news on California Farmers' Market EBT Access and Market Match!
FM Finder 3.0 Launch
We are thrilled to announce the newest version of our Farmers' Market Finder website . FM Finder 3.0 has a brand new look, and exciting new features. The entire website can now be translated into Spanish, a new map feature allows an overlay for users to easily locate their counties and congressional districts, and it’s now easier than ever to get directions to whichever market you would like to visit. The market list is now on the left side as well, for easier viewing. Similar to before, toggles allow users to search specifically for markets that accept EBT or offer Market Match incentives.

Take a look, and as always let us know if any updates or changes need to be made to your market info by emailing ebt@ecologycenter.org .
The 2018 Farm Bill is Almost Here
This past week, the House and Senate came together to compromise on a Farm Bill that includes a combination of both their versions. The agreed-upon version is closer to the Senate version, which is good news for farmers’ markets, farmers, and low-income households. It includes funding for important programs such as the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion (FMLLP), the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG), and Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program (FINI) - the program that funds Market Match. This version does not include the stricter work requirements for SNAP recipients that the House bill had proposed. For a more in-depth analysis of the 2018 Farm Bill and what it means for farmers’ markets, see this recent blog post from the Farmers’ Market Coalition:

Act Now! Funding for EBT Technical Assistance Ending 2019
The Ecology Center currently has grant funding to assist farmers' markets across California in becoming authorized to accept CalFresh EBT, however, this grant is coming to a close and will no longer be available after March 2019.

If you have always wanted to add EBT access to your market, now is the time! By providing one-on-one training, technical assistance, tools, templates, and materials, we have assisted hundreds of markets in becoming CalFresh EBT accessible. We can help you too, and it's free! We can assist with:

  • FNS application
  • Obtaining a FREE wireless Point of Sale device
  • Ordering and purchasing scrip
  • Bookkeeping and accounting tools
  • Market staffing and redemption models
  • Print-ready outreach materials and press release templates
  • Free at-market signage
  • Listing on the Farmers' Market Finder
  • Incentive programs like Market Match

The process for a farmers' market is easy. Contact us soon at ebt@ecologycenter.org or (510) 925-4001 to get started!
Welcome our new Team Members!
We are excited to welcome our new Farmers’ Market Access & Equity Program Coordinator, Catie Cain!

Catie comes from a nonprofit and organizing background, having mobilized workers to strike against UCSF in demand of fair contracts, and shut down TD Bank on the east coast in Solidarity with Standing Rock. She is a member of Colombia Conexión, a collective of Colombians based in the Bay Area highlighting the peace process in solidarity with human rights defenders.

She loves connecting with people across the food system, speaking Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Politics from Smith College where she established 5 College Scopes, a space for people of color interested in environmental justice. She holds a certificate from the Bay Area Farmers’ Training Program. She seeks to create more collective ownership across the food system locally and internationally. In her free time, she enjoys making music, collaborating with friends, and traveling.

You can reach her through email at Catie@ecologycenter.org or at (510) 548-2220 ex. 221

We are also excited to welcome our new Program Associate, Jacqui VanLiew!

Jacqui joined the Ecology Center in 2018 to support the Farmers’ Market EBT and Market Match programs. She hails from Vermont, where she served as an AmeriCorps Member, providing nutrition, cooking, gardening, and physical activity programming for teens. She worked as a Public Health Nutritionist at the Vermont Department of Health, educating clients in the WIC program about healthy eating and childhood development. She received a B.S. in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Vermont, which sparked her passion to work towards a more just and equitable food system. In her spare time, she enjoys watercolor painting, hiking in the woods, baking pies, and practicing acroyoga.

She can be reached at jacqui@ecologycenter.org or at (510) 548-2220 ex. 232
Find us on Social Media!
If you did not know already, Market Match is on Facebook and Twitter ! We have been more active on both these sites lately, and we believe this has great potential to reach a wide audience of both farmers' market managers and customers. We would love your help in getting the word out by liking our pages, sharing content, and by tagging us in your own posts when Market Match is mentioned. We would also be happy to share any of your content relevant to our work. If you have something you would like us to post or share email ebt@ecologycenter.org.
Farmers' Market Access and Equity Program | Ecology Center
(510) 925-4001 | ebt@ecologycenter.org | www.ecologycenter.org/ebt