Many people would agree with Candi Benge that there’s just something better about fresh foods when people can buy them locally, straight from the farmer.
Candi also firmly believes everyone should have access to fresh foods, no matter what their financial status.
To help make that happen, she became involved in the Kearney Area Farmers Market in Kearney, Nebraska. In 2018, after Candi and her husband, David, formed a limited liability company for their farm, Little Town Gardens, they decided to sit in on the market’s spring producers meeting to see what it was all about.
“We chose not to join the market at that time," said Candi. “Instead, we planted gardens and practiced succession planting with hopes that we would be able to sell and keep up for the 2019 season.”
Since then, Candi has not only sold their produce at the market, she served on its Board of Directors in 2020 and also worked with Buffalo County Community Partners and Be Well.
Those experiences and an insightful conversation with a producer from the Lincoln Sunday Farmers Market gave Candi the guidance to put together the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Double Up Food Bucks plans that are now used at the Kearney Area Farmers Market. Now, farmers at the market can accept SNAP benefits as payment, and customers can use Double Up Food Bucks to double their SNAP funds and stretch their purchasing dollars.
“The flavor and quality of fresh foods cannot be matched,” said Candi. “Just because someone is struggling financially doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get to experience buying local, fresh foods for their families. Plus, there is an incredible atmosphere at a farmers market that just naturally encourages us to want to eat more fresh and healthy foods.”
“The icing on the cake is that it improves foot traffic and sales for the producers,” she said. “It’s a win, win, win.”
Setting up both programs was a multi-step project. In the fall/winter season of 2020-21, Candi applied for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) number that is needed for the market to accept SNAP. She also continued developing the process of distributing and accepting SNAP tokens that would be used once everything was up and running. The plan mirrored the program from the Lincoln Sunday Farmers Market.
She also applied for a grant with an organization called Marketlink that provides card readers to markets and for various other grants in the Kearney area to help build infrastructure for the market and put down a foundation for market growth.
While Candi was working on these developments, staff from the Center for Rural Affairs reached out to inform her of an additional grant that might aid in her efforts.
Now, the Center is collaborating with Candi, the Kearney Area Farmers Market, and Buffalo County Community Partners on a Food Security Innovation Grant administered through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Center Project Associate Deborah Solie has worked with Candi to help the market reach more community members.
“Our goal is to build community collaboration and inform about the accessibility of benefits at the farmers market,” said Deborah. “This is a challenging endeavor with a goal of increasing usage and expanding access to fresh food in the Kearney area.”
Through this partnership, Candi supervises interns at the market information booth to help exchange and track benefits used, teach people about SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks, share healthy recipes, and coordinate local chefs from the area to do cooking demonstrations.
“We noticed an improvement in numbers as the season went on last year,” said Candi. “We really think the biggest hurdle is people not knowing about the programs. I just want the community of Kearney to know how much we love growing food for them. The market is not just about selling or buying stuff. It’s about relationships, community, and supporting each other whether it’s producers or customers. We all benefit by being there.”
To get the word out, Candi and market organizers placed yard signs and banners around town to let more people know SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks are accepted at the market. They also paid for a spot on a local television station, and from time to time, they take tear-off flyers to local food pantries and public service agencies to give out to their participants.
Candi said word-of-mouth promotion is the biggest compliment one can give a small producer.
“We need help from our friends and neighbors to stay in business,” she said. “We love what we do and we love to see our community each week.”
Tips for farmers markets looking to expand food access
“The process of getting the system up and running is well worth the work,” Candi said. “It takes a little bit of time, so start working on it and just plink away at it to get it done. Make a to-do list to help you remember to get things done. It’s a good thing.”
Steps to take to accept SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks include:
- Obtain a Food and Nutrition Service number from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Set up a bank account for the funds to be deposited into.
- Create a Square account to accept the cards.
- Reach out to MarketLink for assistance with SNAP implementation at marketlink.org.
- Learn about Double Up Food Bucks at doubleupnebraska.org.
The Kearney Area Farmers Market also:
- Applied for grants to help pay for the printed paper tokens for the market.
- Worked with a local printer to design the market money.
- Had a generous local donor who paid for a smartphone and Wi-Fi service to operate the digital systems.
Top photo: Candi Benge at her booth at the Kearney Area Farmers Market in June.
