By Connie Kenny, Food Access Manager, LEAP (Local Environmental Agriculture Project)
LEAP is a Member of the Virginia Farmers Market Association
LEAP began our Kids Bucks program in summer 2023, with a grant from Molina Cares. Since then, we have fundraised from a variety of sources to make sure this important program continued. Kids Bucks are offered only at West End Farmers Market and WEFM is a year-round market, operating every Tuesday of the year except for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Our West End Farmers Market is located in a low income neighborhood whose residents lack access to fresh, whole foods. The Kids Bucks program is available to children 2-17 years old who come to the West End Farmers Market, located in Roanoke City. The census tracts in West End are all considered low income and low-access. In the West End, over a third (39%) live below the Federal Poverty Line and only 15% receive SNAP benefits.
The children themselves must take and spend the tokens. During spring, summer, and fall, the tokens are to be spent on fruits and vegetables only. In winter, they can be spent on any SNAP-approved item. The idea is that by choosing their food and interacting with vendors, children of all ages become more engaged in the shopping experience and more invested in eating nutritious foods. We have heard from parents that their kids look forward to this market because of these tokens and this weekly experience.
The Kids Bucks program has increased the number of families and kids who regularly come to the West End Farmers Market as part of their weekly routine, which is key to forming the healthy habits we seek with health and food access interventions.
Kids Bucks have become central to West End Farmers Market as a way to bring families of all kinds to the market. This program has worked as an invitation to families in the West End neighborhood who have never shopped at farmers markets before. It has been a catalyst for parenting groups and home schooling families to come to the market and spread word of the market among their circles. (This program is regularly shared on social media among groups like Macaroni Kids and Huddle Up Moms.) This program makes it easy to invite partner organizations who serve kids to come to market.
Kids Bucks have also encouraged other groups who serve kids to participate in the market. Our library system stops by once a month to give away free books to kids, in part because there are so many kids at market. A volunteer began a “story time” at market to encourage families to stay longer at market and make the market a destination.
One parent recently shared how much their daughter loves the program– the daughter tells everyone about the West End Farmers Market– and that if it wasn’t for her child and the Kids Bucks, she wouldn’t prioritize coming to the market.
Giving kids purchasing power for fruits and vegetables helps establish lifelong healthy behaviors and can positively affect the purchasing habits of adults in the household. In the West End, over a quarter of the population (26%) is under 17, compared to 20% in Roanoke City and 21% in Virginia. The West End Farmers Market is a safe and welcoming space for children and families. The Kids Bucks further helps to nurture, support, and provide access to healthy food options for children.
How it works:
- Each child who visits market will receive $5 in Harvest Buck tokens to be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at any market vendor.
- A Kids Program table will be offered 1-4 times a month for kids to participate in an activity about food, farming, and/or health or a tasting of a fruit, vegetable, or vegetarian recipe which is manned by a LEAP intern/staff or various community partner organizations.
- Tokens must be spent that day and must be spent by the child, not the adult. We want to teach the children how to shop at farmers markets and to be empowered with choosing what to purchase with their money.
- The market manager will track how many Kids Market Bucks are given out each week. Vendors who accept the tokens will be reimbursed monthly along with their other incentive reimbursements.
Intern Emma Clarke is a Virginia Tech Dietetics Masters student. During her 6-week internship with LEAP she created a lasting educational resource for LEAP to use that is focused on kids, local and seasonal produce, and nutrition. She implemented these lessons at the West End Farmers Market to pair with our Kids Harvest Bucks program to offer activities, samples, and educational information.
Testimonials:
“Children love the $5 tokens! We find that they take spending their token very seriously. They examine all the fruits and vegetables that we have to offer and often ask questions about items they don’t recognize. We often answer questions about leeks, celeriac and winter squash. Their choices are often surprising. Certainly the blueberries, strawberries and cherry tomatoes are popular choices but lettuce, spinach, sweet and hot peppers are often chosen. Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes are other popular items. The program not only offers children the chance to learn about healthy food but it also provides lessons in managing money and making choices about how to spend their money. If I buy these tomatoes, I may not have enough money to purchase an apple. As vendors we also appreciate the children’s token program. Parents accompany children to our stand and tend to also make purchases using their tokens. We provide healthy food to the entire family!”
-Leslie Slusher, Fields Edge Farm
“The Kids Harvest Bucks program has had a great impact on the West End market this year! I’ve seen so many kids excited about eating apples, trying new foods, and practicing their counting skills. It’s not just increasing access to local nutrition but giving the opportunity for lots of skills like math, decision making, agency, and communication with vendors. It also takes the pressure off parents with limited income who don’t necessarily want to spend on a new food they worry their kid won’t actually eat; the child can buy it and try for themselves.”
-Chloe Johnson, Garden Variety Harvests
“I love it! I get potatoes every week! And now I know the potato farmer!”
-Fin ,12 yrs old
“The kids bucks definitely motivated us to come by the market weekly and to explore the vendors. I really enjoy giving my son the opportunity to pick out his own produce (potatoes!) and he gets a chance to interact with the local farmers. It’s all great.”
-Julie, mom of Fin
“I’m so glad you have this as an opportunity for him to be in a safe place for him to learn to socialize with the vendors.”
-Mom of Victor (Victor has autism)
“The kids have started creating habits and owning their decisions, picking out fruits and veggies that they want. [The program] has started to bring parents to the market to shop with their kids.”
-Connie Kenny, LEAP Market Manager
