Nourish Knoxville is pleased to announce the 2017 opening date of the Market Square Farmers’ Market (MSFM) for Wednesday, May 3rd. Patrons will be able to shop for a variety of locally-grown produce, flowers, meat, honey, herbs, plants, baked goods, coffee, prepared foods, and handcrafted items. In addition to the great shopping, Nourish Knoxville is excited to announce another great year of programs, including:

·       Fresh Savings, a SNAP doubling program made possible by the AARP Foundation, UnitedHealth Care, and Wholesome Wave. For every $20 of SNAP spent at the MSFM, our SNAP customers will receive an additional $20 to use at market for fresh fruits and vegetables. “Millions of American families simply cannot afford produce, relying instead on cheap foods . . . Doubling SNAP (Food Stamps) levels the playing field so everyone, regardless of income level, can afford fruits and vegetables . . . Meanwhile benefits ripple out across the community as public health improves and farmers’ and grocery stores boost their bottom lines.” – Wholesome Wave. This Fresh Savings Program is offered at farmers’ markets and grocery stores across Tennessee. A list of participating locations can be found here.

·       Downtown Discounts, a discount program run in partnership with CBID and downtown retail businesses. Every Wednesday from May through November, purchase something from the MSFM (fruit, vegetables, prepared food, jewelry, etc.) and receive discounts from 15 to 20 downtown merchants. Offers and participating merchants change each month. Discounts are for in-store purchases on Wednesday only.

·       POP (Power of Produce) Club, “provides a fun opportunity for children to engage in the local food system through conversations directly with farmers, educational games and demonstrations, and exposure to new fruits and vegetables.” – Farmers Market Coalition. Evaluations conducted by the Farmers Market Coalition at the Oregon City Farmers Market’s POP Club found that 72% of POP participants tried a new fruit or vegetable through the POP program, 70% of parents reported that their child requested produce that he or she tried through the POP Club, and that vendors on average they saw their sales increase by 35%. The MSFM will host a POP Club every 2nd Saturday, May through November. Each event will have an educational activity and produce tasting. Every participant, ages 2 to 12, will get $5 in vouchers to spend on fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and food-producing plants at market. Sponsored by Hard Knox Pizzaeria.

 

Funding provided by Grayson Subaru and CBID.

 

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Nourish Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) non-profit working to cultivate and support relationships between farmers, artisanal producers, and the community through outreach, education, and advocacy, and to build healthy communities through connections to local food.

 

Contact: Charlotte Tolley, 865.805.8687, info@nourishknoxville.org