June 3rd, 2019

Farmers' Market Access and Equity Program Newsletter

The latest news on California Farmers' Market EBT Access and Market Match!
Free Webinar! - Running a Successful
Farmers' Market EBT Program
Do you currently have EBT access at your farmers' market or are interested in adding EBT? Join us for a free webinar that will cover all the steps to ensure that your EBT program is successful.

We will cover:
  • Common barriers for EBT shoppers
  • Cultivating vendor buy-in
  • Staff training
  • Outreach to customers
  • Creating community partnerships
  • Benefits of joining the California Alliance of Farmers' Markets
  • Incentive programs


The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 18th, from 10am to 11:30 am . To register for the webinar, click here . We will also be recording the webinar and posting it on our website for anyone to review or watch at a later time. This webinar is a build upon last year's webinar, which covered step by step how to get your market EBT authorized. If you would like to watch last years webinar, click here .

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at ebt@ecologycenter.org or at 510 925 4001.
CalFresh Awareness Month Contest Winners!
During the month of May, the FMAE team hosted a Facebook and Instagram photo contest in honor of CalFresh Awareness Month . The rules were simple: post on social media how you're getting the word out about CalFresh and Market Match at your market!

We're excited to announce the following winners:

Thank you to everyone who participated!
CalFresh Forum Recap
Catie Cain from our Farmers’ Market Access & Equity Team presented at Second Harvest Food Bank's annual CalFresh Forum of the Central Coast , hosted in Watsonville on May 17th.

The CalFresh Forum is an annual gathering of CalFresh experts– ranging from local Human Services agencies, community-based organizations of the Central Coast and Central Valley, as well as leaders in the local food movement . Experts shared their perspectives on SSI recipients becoming eligible for CalFresh, upcoming policy changes, the general state of the program and much more.

Catie shared key information on the Ecology Center’s role in supporting EBT and Market Match at farmers' markets locally and statewide. The Farmers’ Market Access & Equity Team hopes to continue supporting CalFresh clients and outreach workers by providing useful resources on how to use EBT and Market Match at farmers' markets to purchase affordable, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
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