Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program - 2018 Operations Guide - BC Farmers Market
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Farmers’ Market Nutrition
Coupon Program
Photo credit: Happy Designs
2018 Operations Guide
1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... 2
How To Reach Us ......................................................................................................................... 3
Partner Portal ............................................................................................................................. 4
Markets – What’s Due and When ................................................................................................ 5
Vendors and Reimbursements .................................................................................................... 6
Vendors - Guidelines for Accepting Coupons ................................................................................. 6
Markets - Reimbursing Vendors ....................................................................................................... 6
Mailing Coupons to the BCAFM .................................................................................................. 7
Mail The Coupons ....................................................................................................................... 8
Partners – What’s Due and When ............................................................................................... 9
Transportation Grants .............................................................................................................. 10
Vegetable and Fruit Grants ....................................................................................................... 11
How We Stay In Touch............................................................................................................... 12
FMNCP Monthly Newsletter ............................................................................................................. 12
FMNCP Conference Calls ................................................................................................................ 12
Program and Market Site Visits ....................................................................................................... 12
Best Practices ............................................................................................................................ 13
Community Partners and Farmers’ Markets Working Together .................................................. 13
Tips for Community Partners .......................................................................................................... 13
Tips for Farmers’ Markets ................................................................................................................ 15
Avoiding Abuse and Fraud ....................................................................................................... 17
Proactive Measures for Farmers’ Markets ..................................................................................... 17
Proactive Measures for Community Partners................................................................................ 17
Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 18
Participant Handout ........................................................................................................................... 19
Vendor Brochure ................................................................................................................................ 20
Participant Enrollment Form .............................................................................................................. 22
FMNCP Vendor Enrollment Form ........................................................................................................ 23
FMNCP Participant Statistics .............................................................................................................. 24
FMNCP Vendor Report ........................................................................................................................ 25
2
How To Reach Us
Mailing Address BC Farmers’ Markets
203-2642 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5T 3E6
Phone (604) 734-9797
Fax (604) 568-4748
Email nutrition@bcfarmersmarket.org
Program Staff Peter Leblanc
Program Manager
(604) 724-6538 (mobile)
peter@bcfarmersmarket.org
Tahlia Murdoch
Communications and Administration Coordinator
tahlia@bcfarmersmarket.org
Photo credit: Anice Wong
3
Partner Portal
Our partner portal is packed with resources, forms, and links for the coupon program. And it’s open
24 hours a day!
http://www.bcfarmersmarket.org/coupon-program/partner-portal
What’s In the Portal?
PAGE RESOURCE
Community Partner Page • Link to the Weekly Online Report
• Participant Flyer
• Enrollment Form - Participants
• Report Form of Participants
• Link to Transportation, Vegetables and Fruit Grant
• Quick Survey
Farmers’ Market Page • Link to the Weekly Online Report
• Enrollment Form - Vendors
• Vendor Flyer
• Signs for Vendors
• Instructions on How to Mail Coupons
• Link to Canada Post
• Coupon Tracking Templates
Deadlines and Timelines • What’s due when
Training Area • Operations Manual
• Training Slide Decks
Shared Resources Area • Example of FMNCP Documents From Others
• Partner Newsletter Samples
Research Area • Academic Reports and Studies
Food Literacy Resource Bank • Activity Sheets
• Recipes and Nutrition Links
• Regional Food Literacy Links
Program Data • Redemption and distribution data for your community,
updated weekly.
4
Markets – What’s Due and When
Every Week Submit online coupon report
June Enroll and orient vendors
July July 4: Mail last month’s coupons
July 10 and 11: Conference Calls
August August 1 Mail: last month’s coupons
September 5: Mail last month’s coupons
September September 25 and 26: Conference Calls
October October 3: Mail last month’s coupons
November 7: Mail last month’s coupons
November Submit Report of Vendors
5Vendors and Reimbursements
Vendors - Guidelines for Accepting Coupons
• FMNCP coupons should be accepted at face value by qualifying vendors.
• Only permitted items can be purchased with FMNCP coupons.
• Change cannot be given for FMNCP coupons, so vendors should attempt to provide portions
that equal the full value of the coupons.
• Vendors must not offer extra product or discounts to coupon users.
• Farmers’ Markets should be sure to explain the FMNCP to all vendors.
Markets - Reimbursing Vendors
The BCAFM will provide markets with an initial cash advance at the beginning of the program. As
coupons are sent in for redemption, we will monitor each market’s balance. We will forward further
installments as the season progresses on an as-needed basis. The final payments will be
approximately 30 days of the final coupons being submitted to the BCAFM.
Each market will collect redeemed coupons from vendors and reimburse vendors for the coupons
they collected. Markets have various ways of managing the reimbursements such as:
• Having a cash float to reimburse vendors every week;
• Collecting coupons one week and paying by cheque the next week;
• Paying vendors by cheque once a month; or
• Paying vendors who redeem small amounts at the market and sending cheques to other
vendors at a later date.
• Markets will mail redeemed coupons to the BCAFM for verification.
Photo credit: Freyja Barnwell
6Mailing Coupons to the BCAFM
Step 1
Mail last month’s coupons on the
first Wednesday of the month
Step 2
Separate coupons
Step 3
Bundle coupons by week
and affix label
Step 4
Complete packing slip
7Mail The Coupons
Step 5
Go To Canada Post Online and Complete The Form
Use link we will email you
Step 6
Print Label and affix to package
Step 7
Drop package at Canada Post or mail box
We pay the postage!
Unable to Print the Label?
Visit Canada Post, provide them with
Return ID # PR885392
8Partners – What’s Due and When
Every Week Submit online distribution report
June Enroll and orient program participants
July July 10 and 11: Conference Calls
August Distribute participant surveys
September September 25 and 26: Conference Calls
Submit:
October and
Report of Participants
November Quick Surveys
9Transportation Grants
The BCAFM has a modest amount of funds available for program partners with good ideas for
solving a transportation barrier for program participants.
Last year some of the requests we have funded:
• Bus tickets;
• The cost of gas for a community shuttle;
• An honorarium for a volunteer bus driver of a community shuttle; and
• Gas reimbursement for participants who carpool to the market.
We accept applications online for amounts up to a maximum of $300. You can find a link on
the FMNCP partner area of the BCAFM website.
We will ask for the following information:
• Description of the transportation barrier and proposed solution; and
• Proposed budget for transportation plans.
Requests can be submitted beginning June 4, 2018, and will be considered on a rolling basis
until the funds are exhausted.
Photo by Penny Hambrook
10Vegetable and Fruit Grants
The BCAFM has a modest amount of funds
available for program partners that do not
have the budget to purchase fresh
vegetables and fruits from their partner
farmers’ markets. Fresh vegetables and fruits
purchased with the grant money are to be
used in food literacy activities with FMNCP
participants to help facilitate integration
between your programming and
opportunities for participants at the market.
We accept applications online for amounts
up to a maximum of $100. You can find a
link on the FMNCP partner area of the
BCAFM website to apply for this grant.
We will ask for the following information:
• A description of the types of food
literacy activities in which you will
use the vegetables and fruits; and
• A proposed budget (not to exceed
$100).
Requests can be submitted beginning June
4, 2018, and will be considered on a rolling
basis until the funds are exhausted.
11How We Stay In Touch
The BCAFM stays in close communications with farmers’ markets and community partners
when the program is operating. Over the course of the season, we are engaging with you in
order to resolve issues, make program adjustments, and share challenges and successes.
FMNCP Monthly Newsletter
Each month we will send you a newsletter that includes:
• Program updates;
• Successes and challenges from our partners;
• Skill-building activities and recipes; and
• Events across the province related to healthy eating and food security.
FMNCP Conference Calls
During the program, we host three conference calls in which markets and community
partners must participate. A representative of every farmers’ market and community partner
must participate in each call. Each call will take 70-90 minutes and follows this agenda:
1. Welcome and introductions
2. Program updates and information from the BCAFM
3. Updates/concerns/questions from partners
4. Open discussion
Date Times
Tues, July 10 OR Wed, July 11 10 am or 2 pm
Tues, September 25 OR Wed, September 26 10 am or 2 pm
Program and Market Site Visits
We will do our best to visit each farmers’ market and each community organization. During
these visits, we take time to meet with program and market managers to check in with how
the program is operating. We also engage with vendors at the market and participants in the
program.
These visits give us great insight into how the program is operating and are opportunities for
you to give us feedback and ask questions about the program.
12Best Practices
Community Partners and Farmers’ Markets Working Together
1. Market representatives can attend one or more program sessions and even deliver a
presentation on how the community organization’s skill-building program applies to
shopping at the market.
2. Community partner representatives can attend markets to distribute coupons, participate
in a market tour, or simply set up a community table to be a friendly point of contact for
program participants at the market.
3. Markets and community partners should check in with one another regularly throughout
the program to keep updated and address any problems that come up.
4. Markets and community partners should also coordinate so that information about the
market is provided to participants at their skill-building sessions. This can come in the form
of a market bag or brochure, for example.
5. Markets and community partners can seek additional funding together so that they can
provide for more families & seniors! There are examples of extra funding from this past
year:
• The Salvation Army in Bulkley Valley received outside funding for a new kitchen and
cooking equipment to host cooking classes
• Salt Spring Community Services received funding from a local foundation to double
the number of program participants in their community
• The Powell River Farmers Market hosted a successful Farm to Fork Dinner as a
fundraiser to add seniors to the program in their community
6. Market and program managers should consider arranging transportation to and from the
market for participants with mobility issues. For instance, the Royal City Farmers' Market
and the Senior Services Society in New Westminster fundraise for a shuttle service to
transport participants to and from the market each week.
Tips for Community Partners
1. Orient your participants on the program and how to use FMNCP coupons at the market.
Why? Some participants don’t use their coupons or visit the market once and have a
bad experience. A great orientation helps those who are new to markets and the
program.
How? You can brief participants in a group or one on one and hand out the FMNCP
participant brochure. Be sure to go over the details carefully.
132. Schedule a group tour of the market.
Why? This helps participants to feel more comfortable using their coupons at the
market.
How? The market manager or a farmer may be able to assist you with this.
3. Host a booth at the market to distribute coupons and field questions from participants.
Bonus: having a booth at the market allows you to share your programs with the entire
community.
4. Try to use local and seasonal foods in your skill-building activities.
Why? This supports local farmers and illustrates how participants can use food bought
at the market to make meals at home!
5. Provide program participants with reminders about market dates and skill-building
sessions through multiple communication methods (e-mail, text message, Facebook page
etc.).
6. Ideally, the FMNCP should not require you to host a wide range of additional sessions with
program participants. Instead, the skill-building sessions the FMNCP requires should be
part of the programming that you already offer to members of your community. Here are
some suggestions of activities that qualify as FMNCP skill-building sessions:
• Chef cooking sessions with farmers’ market ingredients
• Handing out flyers to participants for them to compare availability and prices at the
store vs. the farmers’ market
• Teaching participants what they can grow in community gardens and/or small patio
gardens
• Asking participants who already have many cooking skills to lead skill-building
sessions for other participants
• Featuring a specific vegetable using handout sheets like those attached to the
appendix of this manual and/or having participants find all the varieties of a
particular vegetable or fruit available at the market (e.g. berries, tomatoes).
• Having participants find ingredients at the farmers’ market for a recipe that will be
used in a subsequent skill-building session
• Organizing a farm tour from a market vendor
• Hosting a community picnic with program participants, the market manager, and
ingredients from the market
You can also ask your participants what they are interested in learning and incorporate that
into your programming!
14Tips for Farmers’ Markets
1. Brief all of your vendors on the FMNCP.
Why? Your vendors may be the first person a new participant visits at the market.
They should be prepared and knowledgeable about how the program works. This is
true even for vendors who do not sell eligible items. Educating all of your vendors
about the coupons will also help to ensure that no one accepts coupons in error.
How? Brief your vendors in a group or one-on-one, tell vendors about how the
program works, and give them the FMNCP vendor brochure. There are so many small
details to cover, so take time to review it carefully with each vendor.
Potential Issues: Some vendors at your market may start later in the season. Plan
to orient those vendors before their first market day starts. Sometimes these casual
vendors are missed, and it causes confusion for them and the participants if they don’t
know how the program operates.
2. Put up FMNCP signs at the market.
Why? The start of a market day is busy for everyone. When you leave it to the
vendors to put up their signs, some don’t go up, some are put in a bad spot and some
are left at the farm. But it’s important for them to be up - we received consistent
feedback from participants that the signs make them feel welcome and certain where
they can use FMNCP coupons.
How? Add this task to your market duties. Market staff or volunteers can go to each
eligible booth right before the market starts and put up a sign. Bring a roll of tape or
magnets with you. This is also an excellent way to check in with new vendors to see if
they have any questions about how the program works. At the end of the market,
repeat your round to retrieve the signs.
3. Encourage eligible vendors to organize their booths for sales of $3 multiples.
Why? Participants have $3 coupons and vendors can’t give them change. If vendors
sell their products in $3 multiples, the shoppers can be confident about their
purchases. This also makes the financial transaction go quicker, giving vendors more
time to talk to customers!
How? We observed vendors who had a combination of loose items and $3 bagged
items. Some vendors charged per piece/unit.
• Bonus: Studies show that market customers prefer clear prices at market stalls.
Shoppers don’t like to be uncertain about how much something will cost, and you
have to be a frequent shopper to know how many strawberries, peas or potatoes
you’ll get in a pound. Let them know the price and they’ll feel more comfortable
with making a purchase at your booth.
154. Add program participants onto your mailing list so that they can stay in the loop about
upcoming programming at your market!
photo credit: Freyja Barnwell
16Avoiding Abuse and Fraud
There are several problems that may arise with the use of FMNCP coupons, whether
intentional or not.
Program participants may try to:
• Use FMNCP coupons to buy ineligible products such as honey or baked goods; or
• Sell, give away or trade their FMNCP coupons at our outside the market.
Vendors may try to:
• Accept coupons for unauthorized items and trade them with a vendor who has
authorized items;
• Give change to participants instead of providing $3 worth of product; or
• Purchase coupons outright from participants.
In the event that FMNCP coupons are used improperly, we ask you to investigate what
happened and make any adjustments necessary to correct the situation. You are also asked to
report the situation to us. Sometimes we are able to help in resolving the situation.
Proactive Measures for Farmers’ Markets
Markets can:
• Orient all of their vendors about the FMNCP program and how it works; and
• Monitor the operation of the program at their market and follow up on potential
problems.
Proactive Measures for Community Partners
Community partners can:
• Be sure to go over coupon redemption guidelines with program participants so that
they understand what how to use FMNCP coupons correctly; and
• Connect with the market manager at their local market and offer to help in providing a
welcoming, engaging market atmosphere to participants.
17Appendix 18
Participant Handout 19
Vendor Brochure 20
21
Participant Enrollment Form FMNCP Participant Report 22
FMNCP Vendor Enrollment Form
Date:
Name of Business:
Email address:
Telephone number:
☐ As a vendor at this market, I will accept FMNCP coupons as per the program guidelines.
_______________________________________ ________________________________
Signature Date
☐ I would like to participate in the FMNCP evaluation and contribute my views on the program.
23FMNCP Participant Statistics 24
FMNCP Vendor Report
Market Name: ________________________ Submitted by: ___________________________
Vendor Name Vendor Email
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