Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program

Transcription

1 Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program Photo credit: Happy Designs 2018 Operations Guide 1

2 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 Vegetable and Fruit Grants How We Stay In Touch FMNCP Monthly Newsletter FMNCP Conference Calls Program and Market Site Visits Best Practices Community Partners and Farmers Markets Working Together Tips for Community Partners Tips for Farmers Markets Avoiding Abuse and Fraud Proactive Measures for Farmers Markets Proactive Measures for Community Partners Appendix Participant Handout Vendor Brochure Participant Enrollment Form FMNCP Vendor Enrollment Form FMNCP Participant Statistics FMNCP Vendor Report

3 How To Reach Us Mailing Address BC Farmers Markets Main Street Vancouver, BC V5T 3E6 Phone Fax (604) (604) Program Staff Peter Leblanc Program Manager (604) (mobile) Tahlia Murdoch Communications and Administration Coordinator Photo credit: Anice Wong 3

4 Partner Portal Our partner portal is packed with resources, forms, and links for the coupon program. And it s open 24 hours a day! 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

5 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 September 5: Mail last month s coupons September 25 and 26: Conference Calls October October 3: Mail last month s coupons November November 7: Mail last month s coupons Submit Report of Vendors 5

6 Vendors 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 6

7 Mailing 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 7

8 Mail The Coupons Step 5 Go To Canada Post Online and Complete The Form Use link we will 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 # PR

9 Partners 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 October and November Submit: Report of Participants Quick Surveys 9

10 Transportation 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 10

11 Vegetable 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. 11

12 How 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 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 Tues, July 10 OR Wed, July 11 Tues, September 25 OR Wed, September 26 Times 10 am or 2 pm 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. 12

13 Best 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. 13

14 2. 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 ( , 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! 14

15 Tips for Farmers Markets 1. Brief all of your vendors on the FMNCP. 15 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.

16 4. 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 16

17 Avoiding 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. 17

18 18 Appendix

19 19 Participant Handout

20 20 Vendor Brochure

21 21

22 Participant Enrollment Form FMNCP Participant Report 22

23 Date: Name of Business: address: Telephone number: FMNCP Vendor Enrollment Form 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. 23

24 24 FMNCP Participant Statistics

25 FMNCP Vendor Report Market Name: Submitted by: Vendor Name Vendor

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