Inspired by the impact of Maine Harvest Bucks? Please make a donation to strengthen our program for the year ahead. Every dollar helps a family access healthy, local food, and goes to local farmers throughout the state. Click here to donate! In 2020, farmers’ markets saw an unprecedented increase in people using their SNAP/EBT cards […]
USDA
Internship and Volunteer Opportunities this Summer
May 1, 2020 CategoriesFarmers’ markets are in need of extra support this summer to keep their markets strong during the covid-19 pandemic. Across Maine, farmers’ markets provide food security to their communities. Nearly all farmers’ markets in Maine are organized and managed by farmer-vendors. Therefore, volunteers, at market and behind the scenes, provide a substantial contribution to supporting […]
Free SNAP sign-up during the Maine Agricultural Trades Show & MFFM Convention
January 9, 2020 Categories
The Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM) invites farmers’ market organizers and direct-marketing farmers to sign up to accept SNAP/EBT on January 16th during the Maine Agricultural Trades Show. There are more than 160,000 people in Maine who purchase food with SNAP. Farmers and farmers’ markets can grow their customer base, and provide a critical […]
Partnership with DACF helps farmers’ markets process SNAP/EBT.
October 21, 2019 Categories
This year, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) partnered with the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM) to help cover the cost of purchasing SNAP processing equipment for farmers’ markets. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the program formerly known as food stamps, helps 1 in 8 Mainers (mostly children and […]
Snapshot Week Photo Competition
July 15, 2019 CategoriesMaine Farmers’ Market Snapshot Week is our annual celebration of farmers’ markets in Maine. This event coincides with National Farmers’ Market Week, falling on August 4-10, 2019. Photo Competition This year’s Snapshot Week features a photo competition for shoppers and farmers. The competition will run for 2 weeks August 4 – 17 to give you […]
Rockland Farmers’ Market Welcomes EBT Shoppers, Doubles Their Dollars
May 15, 2019 CategoriesBack in November of 2018, Jimmy DeBiasi from the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets joined Noami Brautigam from Dickey Hill Farm at the Community Health Needs Assessment meeting for Knox County. They were on a mission to forge a new community partnership to re-launch the Maine Harvest Bucks program at the Rockland Farmers’ Market. The […]
EBT Equipment Options for your Farmers’ Market
October 10, 2018 CategoriesLet’s navigate the EBT equipment world together. This article addresses the free SNAP EBT Equipment Program and discusses additional options for ineligible markets. All markets that accept SNAP/EBT must possess a machine that processes the EBT transaction. Free Equipment? Free, wireless, SNAP-Only equipment is available via Maine Department of Health & Human Services for farmers’ […]
Low-tech and no-cost methods for accepting EBT
October 10, 2018 CategoriesUPDATE -10.9.2019 – This information is dated. While it still remains a valid way to process SNAP transactions, there are much more convenient and free, or low-cost options available. The best step forward is to contact MFFM – email snap@mffm.org or call (207) 370 1524. If your market is new to accepting SNAP/EBT, or if […]
Buying your own EBT Equipment
October 10, 2018 CategoriesIf you’re looking to purchase EBT equipment for your SNAP program, without the help of a grant to subsidize the cost, then you should fall into one, or ideally all, of these categories: Our market has offered SNAP for years; Our vendors are dedicated to keeping this program sustained; We have enough shoppers using SNAP/EBT […]
Information booths at markets
August 21, 2018 CategoriesInformation booths (“info booths”) are popping up at more and more farmers’ markets in Maine. The primary service they provide to markets is that they offer a central location for shoppers to pay for all of their goods. At a busy market, the information booth cuts down on the transaction time for vendors, since they no longer […]