Food Access Forums are held the third Thursday of the month from November, December, January, March, and April, from 12:00-1:00 pm via Zoom. We welcome farmers market organizers and local, regional and statewide food access partners to highlight successful initiatives that increase healthy eating, provide opportunities to ask questions about SNAP, SNAP Market Match and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and find new ways to collaborate with farmers markets.

Get Ready for the 2025 Season!

State Legislation + Farm Bill Policy Updates & Pre-season Farmers Market Check Lists 

Now’s the time to start preparing for the 2025 farmers market season! In this month’s Farmers Market Food Access Forum, we’ll learn about what’s ahead in terms of state policy that touches on food access programs and the US farm bill. Food access programs are made possible with funding and support from a variety of sources. Claire Lane, Director of the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition will help us understand what to track in the 2025 Washington State legislative session and how to help. She will also update us on prospects for the national Farm Bill.

Jill Rittenhouse, manager of the North Bend Farmers Market, will share pro tips and check lists on what to do now, next, and for opening day. Preparing now helps rolling out food access programs go smoothly for shoppers, vendors, and partners as well as for the market staff and volunteers! Spoiler alert: get your EBT machines up and running before opening day. They typically have updates to run and it’s always good to problem-solve issues before there is a line of shoppers in front of you!

Free – no need to register. Everyone is welcome! Please email the WSFMA for the Zoom link.
Funded by USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. This institution is an equal opportunity provider

Recordings & Materials:

December 19, 2024. SNAP Trends at Farmers Markets in State and National Context: A closer look at Washington and Michigan.

November 21, 2024. Katherine Flores, DOH WIC FMNP Lead, and Cameron Akita, DSHS Senior FMNP, shared highlights from the 2024 Farmers Market Nutrition Program for WIC and Seniors and what to expect in 2025.

April 18, 2024. Stacy Carkonen, WSFMA Food Access Coordinator, presented “Think Like a Shopper: Food Access Promotions to Improve Outreach & Sales.”

March 21, 2024. The WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) “Market Managers Required Training” by Katherine Flores and Nick Lee of the WIC Department of Health.

January 18, 2024. WSFMA Regional Leads share their work with farmers markets and SNAP-Ed partners to help more people use SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to buy healthy foods from local farmers at farmers markets. Colleen Donovan, WSFMA; Jess Sappington, West Sound Regional Lead and WSU Kitsap County; Sarah Kinnear, Kitsap Public Health; Tina Eifort, Southwest Regional Lead; and Angela Shields, WSU Clark County SNAP-Ed.

December 14, 2023. Reflections and personal stories about why food access programs matter from a community health perspective, from a farmers market grower, and the market/shopper experience. Thank you to our speakers: Tara McGinty, DSHS SNAP Ed, Certified Health Education Specialist and MPH candidate; Debra Stansbery, Radix Farm, WSFMA Board Member; and April Sims and Rebeccah Landerholm, Poulsbo Farmers Market.

November 9, 2023. “Recap of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program Transition to Electronic Benefits: What happened? Where are we now? and What’s next for the 2024 season?” Katherine Flores, FMNP Team Lead, Washington State Department of Health.

April 20, 2023. “Planning, Partnerships, and Recipes for Cooking Demonstrations at Farmers Markets.” Zena Edwards, WSU Extension Clark County; Lizann Powers Hammond, WSU Extension Benton County; Shannon Bachtel, WSU SNAP-Ed Region 3 Regional; and Leah Nickelson, Camas Farmers Market

Cooking demonstrations are a powerful way to not only showcase the bounty available at a farmers market, and also a great tool for educating shoppers about nutrition, stretching the food dollars, and encouraging repeat shoppers! Presenters will share tips and advice on how to host a cooking demonstration with confidence. They will also walk through steps on deciding on the right recipe, securing food, and finding community partners, and developing a presentation that will keep shoppers that access food benefits coming back!

March 16, 2023. “Farmers Market Nutrition Program Training for Market Managers.” Katherine Flores and Nick Lee from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and Cameron Akita from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services provided the annual training on WIC and Senior FMNP for farmers market managers.

January 19, 2023 “Maximizing Your Social Media” presented by Tina Eifert and Hannah Ladwig, WSFMA Regional Leads. Click for Recording and Presentation Slides.