PROMOTING LOCAL FOOD
To effectively build local food markets, food hubs work diligently to make local food desirable and accessible. Local food promotion programs take many forms, but commonly include Double-Up Bucks for SNAP/EBT consumers; nutrition education; recipe cards; cooking demonstrations; and more.
Member Spotlight
Feast Down East’s Local Motive Mobile Market: the Local Motive Mobile Farmers Market (Mobile Market) operates several days of the week, year-round, across 20 different sites and various pop-up locations in collaboration with community partners within Brunswick, Pender, and New Hanover Counties. Sites include community centers, after-school programs, senior centers, medical clinics, and affordable housing complexes. The mobile farmers market operation accepts SNAP/EBT or food stamps, as well as debit and cash, as forms of payment. Through their Fresh Bucks program, SNAP/EBT purchases are matched dollar to dollar, up to $25 Fresh Bucks. The Local Motive Mobile Farmers Market additionally offers educational resources, recipes, taste testing, cooking demonstrations and health-based education to the wider mobile market community.
Member Spotlight
WORKING LANDSCAPE’S WHAT’S GROWING ON? CURRICULUM:
Working Landscapes’ staff has experience working with childcare centers, after-school programs, camps, and more to provide opportunities to enjoy healthy, local food or connect with the great outdoors. They can help with taste tests, farm visits, school gardens, outdoor classrooms, and environmental education.
Working Landscapes even developed their own farm-to-school education program, called What’s Growing On, to increase awareness of locally-grown foods and food system literacy across northeastern North Carolina. What’s Growing On provides monthly deliveries to elementary classrooms that include a lesson, activities, crafts, stickers, and everything needed to make and enjoy a healthy snack in class. They also work with school cafeterias to plan and implement taste tests or help get healthy, local produce or meat on the school cafeteria line.
