Thinking Inside the Box – Making Healthy Food Accessible with Curbside/Drive-Thru (Contactless) Models at Farmers Markets During COVID-19

Presenters

Farmers Market Leaders! Remember when everyone was talking about alternative delivery models and how to reduce contact at farmers markets? Let’s bring that conversation back!

Are you interested in learning to operate a curbside/drive-thru (contactless) model at your market? COVID-19 has impacted almost every aspect of farmers’ market operations. From wearing masks to social distancing, keeping shoppers and vendors safe has created new opportunities for innovation.

“Box programs” or curbside/drive-thru models have popped up across the nation to provide small and mid-sized farmers with an additional opportunity to sell their products and continuing to elevate farmers markets and make healthy food accessible to communities.

Largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers market customers – including those in COVID-19 high-risk groups – are looking for lower-touch options.

In this webinar, market operators using this model will present on:

How to run a curbside/drive-thru (contactless) model in a farmers’ market, including offering SNAP/EBT payment and nutrition incentives (the match provided on SNAP benefits).

Participants will also get knowledge on best practices for:
Logistics and operations
Securing funding and staffing/volunteers
Compliance with COVID-19 health and safety guidelines

Attendees will leave this webinar feeling inspired and supported to run your own box program, or with a better understanding of how viable the program may be for your market.

Click the image below for the recording of the webinar.

Access presentation slides here.
Webinar Q&A
Min: 09:55 Land Acknowledgement/ Essential Workers Acknowledgement
Min: 18:00 About the Nutrition Hub
Min: 19:30 Presenter line-up
Min: 20:40 Presenter #1, Cristina Berthelot, Crescent City Farmers Market, New Orleans, LA
Min: 35:32 Presenter #2, Angie Warkentin, Visalia Farmers Marker Åssociation, Visalia, CA
Min: 51:48 Presenter #3, Megan Kenney, North Coast Growers Åssociation, Arcata, CA
Min: 1:06:05 Presenter #4, Ruth Arhelger, Rochester Farmers Market, Rochester, MN
Min: 1:18:37 Presenter Q and A

Online SNAP Basics: Nutrition Incentive Hub and NGAF Technical Assistance Center Webinar

Webinar Recording

Online SNAP Basics Slides

Online SNAP FAQ

Strength in Numbers: Leveraging Data and Technology for Nutrition Incentive Programs

Presenter: Alysa Moore: Wholesome Wave Georgia

Do you want to use data to impress funders and show the impact of your region’s nutrition incentive program? Maybe you love the IDEA of data but don’t have an excess amount of time, effort, and money to pour into new data management systems. 

Collecting, storing, and analyzing quality data for nutrition incentive programs is a daunting initiative for many organizations, especially organizations that lack the time, money, and people power to do it well. Data doesn’t have to be intimidating! 

In this webinar, attendees will learn how one small nonprofit approaches data management using low-cost technology that simplifies collection and analysis of nutrition incentive program data. 

Wholesome Wave Georgia (WWG) is a small nonprofit that has been administering nutrition incentive programs in Georgia since 2009. In this webinar, WWG’s Program Manager, Alysa Moore will share how they’ve transitioned nutrition incentive data collection from cumbersome spreadsheets to an online, user-friendly database. Their use of new, low-cost software and tools has simplified program management and reporting for their small staff and the farmers markets, farms, and grocery outlets they work with. Learn how your organization can do the same. 

Attendees will learn why there is a need to move beyond spreadsheets, what tools and databases may be useful to program administrators and questions to ask when looking at data management solutions. Alysa will also walk through examples of how WWG uses Salesforce to manage data for several of their programs.

Click the image below for recording of the webinar.

Presentations and Q&A can be found here:

• FMC and Hub Introduction
• Main Presentation
• Q&A

Growing Your Grassroots: Employing Local Community Leaders for SNAP & Incentive Outreach

Presenter: Food Navigator and Fresh Link Ambassador programs

Interested in engaging community members with outreach, promotion, and education for your market’s nutrition incentive program? Experts will present on two different community outreach programs: FreshLink Ambassadors and Food Navigators that employ community members to spread the word about how to access fresh, healthy, locally grown food. 

FreshLink

FreshLink Ambassadors is a peer-to-peer marketing and outreach approach to spread the word about farmers’ markets to support the use of SNAP and nutrition incentives. Developed and evaluated through community-engaged research at Case Western Reserve University, Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio, the FreshLink Ambassador approach leverages social connections, trustworthiness, and capacity of community champions who raise awareness about and build social connections to farmers’ markets located in their neighborhoods. The FreshLink Ambassador Technical Assistance team now seeks to share learnings with individuals, organizations and communities interested in implementing this approach in their local context.  

Participants in this webinar can expect the following:

• Learn more about the core components of the FreshLink Ambassador approach.
• Understand the impact FreshLink Ambassadors has on individuals, communities, and farmers’ markets.
• Hear testimonials from a former FreshLink Ambassador and Farmers’ Market Manager about their experiences and the benefits of this peer-to-peer outreach approach.

Food Navigators

The Michigan Farmers Market Association in collaboration with the Michigan Fitness Foundation created the Food Navigator program which operates in farmers markets that accept food assistance benefits and are located in underserved communities. Food Navigators work to increase access to fresh, affordable food and help shoppers eat healthy.

Click the image below for recording of the webinar.

Presentations and FAQ can be found here:

• FMC and Hub Introduction
• Main Presentation- Food Navigator
• Main Presentation- Freshlink Ambassador
• Q&A

Utah Farmers Market SNAP Toolkit

Farmers markets are critical in increasing access to healthy, local foods. One important way that farmers markets do this is by participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps families stretch their food dollars. This toolkit outlines how farmers markets can implement a SNAP program, and help combat food insecurity in their communities.

COVID FMNP/SFMNP: Memos and Q&A

FMNP/SFMNP

FMNP Memo: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Waiver Authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Questions and Answers on Program Flexibilities

SFMNP Memo/Q&A: Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) Administrative Flexibilities during a Pandemic and accompanying Questions and Answers

SNAP: COVID-19 Waivers by State

On April 10, 2020, USDA issued a letter denying several types of waivers requested by state SNAP agencies that do not meet requirements for approval.  FNS is working to add those requests to the individual state pages listed in the link below.

Nutrition Incentive Hub: COVID-19 Nutrition Incentives Response

This resource is intended to be a working document, comprised of practitioner perspectives and ideas. The attached information is not intended to be a formal endorsement of any practice. If you would like to provide input, email Abigail Warren at awarren@fairfoodnetwork.org.

Includes:

• Areas for Adaptation
• Opportunities & Resources

MIFMA: How to Clean SNAP Tokens

How to Clean SNAP Tokens

Hard surfaces can harbor bacteria and germs. Attached are some steps you can take to improve the cleanliness of your market’s tokens and protect the safety of your market’s customers, vendors, and staff.

Includes:

1. How to Clean Metal or Plastic Tokens
2. How to Clean Wooden Tokens

The Big Picture of SNAP/EBT Processing and Technology

Presenter: Peter Relich

Join FMC to learn more about the world of federal and state level EBT processing and technology. Expert Peter Relich will share a short history of the development of EBT, then walk through how EBT transaction processing works within FNS, at the state agencies, and for processors. The webinar will also include information on state SNAP contracts and how to collaborate with your state agency. With examples specific to farmers markets and other farm direct outlets, attendees will learn where to go when questions arise with their contract, processor, or grant.

Click the image below for recording of the webinar. You will have to enter your information to access:

Presentations and FAQ can be found here:

• FMC and Hub Introduction
• Main Presentation- Peter Relich
• Q&A