4 Days Left to Donate to SNAP 2 IT Double Bucks!

We are 75% of the way there and it's time for that last push. We need to earn $750 by this Friday August 15th to reach our Indiegogo Campaign Goal. SNAP 2 IT will help North City Farmers' Market patrons using EBT or Food Stamps increase their spending power. This will benefit patrons who've found the cost of produce to be inhibiting and it will benefit our vendors who will enjoy more revenue and more visitors to the North City Farmers' Market.

How it works: If a patron comes to the market with their EBT card and asks for money to spend at the market, we will immediately double that amount! So if a patron asks for $10 in EBT coins they will receive an additional $10 to be spent at the market. This program has been in operation for only a few years but has been enormously successful at markets in Kansas City and Detroit, helping low-income shoppers gain access to healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables and helping markets grow and expand. In just a few years the Beans and Greens program in Kansas City grew from 2 markets taking SNAP to over $150,000 in double bucks at 15 markets!

Your support will help our market grow and it will help many residents of Old North gain improved access to fresh and healthy food at an affordable price. Go to SNAP 2 IT! Double bucks program for food stamps to donate and learn more. And remember, the market has 10 more Saturdays for you to come and get some delicious food, from 10 to 1 right on Crown Square!

Snap 2 It! Double Bucks Campaign to Help Food Stamp Shoppers

While the North City Farmers' Market prides itself on providing healthy produce at affordable prices, many of our patrons on SNAP (Food Stamps) still find the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables prohibitive. In an effort to address this, we've partnered with many other regional farmers' markets and Saint Louis University's Department of Nutrition and Dietetics to bring a unique concept called Double Bucks to the North City Farmers' Market.

Currently, our market has an EBT machine so our low-income shoppers can spend their food stamps at our vendors' booths. A patron comes to the information booth, runs their card through the machine, and is given coins to be spent at the market. The coins can be used at any market day, so if a person does not spend them all in one day, they can come back and spend them the following Saturday.

Here's how Double Bucks works: A patron using SNAP (food stamps) comes to the North City Farmers' Market and runs their card through the EBT machine. Let's say they run their card for $10. Under Double Bucks, they immediately receive an additional $10, thus doubling their purchasing power at the market!

This is not an experimental concept. Double Bucks programs exist throughout the United States: Beans and Greens and Double Up Food Bucks. By bringing this to the North City Farmers' Market, the shopper will be able to purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables and the vendor will see an increase in sales. Everybody wins.

Double Bucks has grown over the past few years, helping markets and those they serve.

In order to sustain the Double Bucks program in St. Louis, we've created an Indiegogo campaign to help us fund this new endeavor. Please, if you can show your support, donate here at Snap 2 It! Help us reach our goal of $3,000 by August 15th!

Thank you and we hope to see you at our next market day, this Saturday from 10 to 1 at Crown Square!

5 Reasons to Come to the Farmers' Market

1. We are the only farmers' market in north city. Whether you live in Old North, St. Louis Place, Hyde Park, or even Downtown, the North City Farmers' Market is conveniently located with easy access to major roads.

2. Our prices are good. You can get a whole bushel of collard greens for less than a dollar!

3. There's a strong sense of community here. This is not just a place to buy food; it's a place to talk with neighbors, hang out, listen to music, give the kids a chance to play, and have fun.

4. We have the best view of any market in the region. With the arch in the background, the beautifully restored Crown Square in the foreground, it can't get much better than this.

5. We have a dancing carrot! Iris, a local resident and regular attendant of the market, happily greets patrons and entices the Crown Candy line to come and explore.

Photos From the First Two Weeks

Opening day started out gorgeous, if a little cloudy. As far as markets go, North City's arguably has the best view in St. Louis nestled between newly restored beautiful brick buildings, with a commanding view of the Gateway Arch.

Many neighbors, young and old, came to buy some fresh goodies. The farmers' market is more than just a place to buy healthy and affordable food, it's also a place to bring the family, hang out, and listen to some local music. Every Saturday is a mini festival.

We also have as many as 20 vendors a week, selling greens, pastries, bread, and flowers. This year we even have seeds and starters from City House Country Mouse, who is new with us this year.

Unfortunately, we had to close a little early. As this photo clearly shows, we got a light drizzling on opening day. In the future, on rainy days, markets will be held inside the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group's office at 2700 North 14th Street, just south of the usual market space.

Day 2, June 14th, was much sunnier and warmer. We even had hula hooping lessons. Energizing Enterprises will be with us every Saturday, selling hula hoops to help you stay fit!

Our local neighborhood coffee shop, La Mancha Coffeehouse, will be selling pastries and beverages every Saturday, as well.

It's been a fun 2 weeks, with 18 more to go! I hope these photos have convinced you to come on down and see what the North City Farmers' Market is all about. And remember, Saturdays 10-1 in Crown Square!

Opening Day is Almost Here

I hope you are as excited as I am about our first day of the North City Farmers' Market. Whether it's the warm weather, lots of fresh and local fruits and veggies, or simply chatting with neighbors, the market is always a blast. 

For our first market of the season we are pleased to announce live music from the Confluence Academy Choir, face-painting for the little ones (or people of any age!), 8 produce vendors and a handful of craft vendors! Want to work up some sweat? We'll even have hula hoop classes.

The weather forecast predicts 84 degrees (perfect temperature for hanging out outside, in my opinion) and a chance of rain. A little bit of rain never hurts. In fact, it'll clean your veggies for you.

Remember: 10AM-1PM on North 14th Street right across from Crown Candy Kitchen. SNAP and EBT accepted. See you on the square!

9 Days to Go

The countdown is on! Opening Day for the North City Farmers' Market is just around the corner! This year we have many of your favorite vendors from previous years, as well as 10 exciting new vendors offering diverse food. Some of our returning vendors are:

La Mancha Coffee House

13th Street Community Garden

GardenVille

Burning Kumquat

Some of our new vendors include:

Bridge Bread

Gateway Garlic Urban Farm

HopeBuild

This year, we've partnered with Grace Hill Settlement House and YMCA O'Fallon Park Rec Complex to provide FREE transportation to and from the market on select days for our neighbors to the north.

This is quickly gearing up to be our biggest market yet! See you on the Square.

Accepting Vendor Applications for 2014 Farmers' Market!

We are still accepting applications for vendors interested in selling at the North City Farmers’ Market! The market strives to enhance and reflect the community, so we invite local farmers and business owners to apply for booth space and join us for a few hours on Saturday mornings. Those interested in selling goods at the market should contact Claire Wolff at claire@onsl.org or 314-241-5031 x 104.

The North City Farmers’ Market is located in Crown Square, at the intersection of 14th St. and St. Louis Ave. (across the street from Crown Candy). The market will run every Saturday  from 10 am to 1 pm, June 7th through October 18th. The market is produced thanks to the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group and numerous other individuals and community groups. We are looking forward to a great season and hope you will join us!