Blue Hill POP Club is a Hit!

The POP Club at the Blue Hill Farmers’ Market is a hit! This weekend at The Blue Hill Farmers Market will mark the sixth successful weekend for the Power of Produce Club (POP Club). The Power of Produce (PoP) Club is a farmers market incentive program for children ages 4-12 that originated at Oregon City Farmers Market in Oregon City, Oregon, in 2011. The Power of Produce (POP) Club provides a fun and easy way for kids to engage in their local food system and learn where their fruits and vegetables come from. POP Clubs can now be found at thousands of farmers markets throughout the nation.

POP Club is free and offers educational games and demonstrations, exposure to new-to-them fruits and vegetables, and meet and have conversations with their local farmers and growers. And, each POP Club participant receives a $5 voucher to spend on fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, and food producing plants, allowing them to make their own shopping decisions at the Market.

In May of this year, in addition to the launch of the POP Club, Healthy Acadia Nutrition Educator Despe Lebel teamed up with Blue Hill Farmers Market chairperson Lorelei Cimeno to successfully implement SNAP/EBT acceptance at the Market. This has bolstered the Market’s revenue and provided a place for community members who receive SNAP/EBT to access fresh food grown by local Maine farmers. The Blue Hill Farmers’ Market also participates in the Maine Harvest Bucks and Bumper Crop programs created by Maine Federation of Farmers Markets.

To learn more about these programs and how to bring more local food access services to your community visit the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets’ website.

SNAP-Ed educators at Healthy Acadia offer year-round cooking and nutrition classes in partnership with schools and organizations throughout Hancock and Washington counties. To learn more or schedule a class, contact Mandy in Washington County, or Nicole in Hancock County.