Announcing Harvest Bowls, an Empty Bowls series, coming to four Midcoast and Downeast farmers’ markets this week!
Harvest Bowls at the Camden Farmers' Market will be this Saturday, August 30th, 9am-12pm in Tannery Park.
The Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM) is holding an Empty Bowls-style fundraising series to support food access at farmers’ markets and raise awareness of our food security work. A simple meal made with ingredients from the market will be free to all on site at the farmers' market. You may also choose to buy a handmade artisan bowl by sliding scale donation.
MFFM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to sustain farmers’ markets, supports farmers by increasing their sales by more than $3million annually with our voucher programs, and runs low-income food access programs at more than 80 direct farmer-to-customer sites around Maine.
All proceeds from these events support Maine Harvest Bucks, our biggest food access program. We started Maine Harvest Bucks ten years ago as a way to direct existing Nutrition Incentive Funds to feeding farmers’ market shoppers and boosting farmers’ sales. When SNAP/EBT shoppers choose to shop for groceries at the farmers’ market, they earn matching Maine Harvest Bucks to spend on fresh fruits, raw unprocessed vegetables, and even seedlings that will produce food. Maine Harvest Bucks shoppers eat more fresh, healthy Maine-grown produce, and farmers get paid directly for their hard work. It keeps more money circulating among Maine farms and small businesses, and builds healthier communities and social bonds by encouraging shoppers to develop in-person relationships with their farmers. The program has grown steadily and sustainably over the last decade, and now results in about $650,000 in direct sales, all of which we pay out to farmers. We raise most of the money to fund this program through local and national grants, local business partnerships
state nutrition funds, and individual donations.
After ten years of improving economic sustainability for farms and public health outcomes, the future of one of our major grants, GusNIP, is under threat. Our Harvest Bowls series is one of many ways we’re turning to our Maine community for help securing the future of Maine Harvest Bucks. We hope you’ll join us! And if you can’t, please consider becoming an MFFM member or making a direct donation for food access:
https://mainefarmersmarkets.org/were-fundraising-for-food-access/
You may also like the following events from Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets:
Also check out other
Nonprofit events in Camden,
Health & Wellness events in Camden.
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