Farm Fresh RI - Fresh Bucks

Fresh Bucks

What are Fresh Bucks?

Fresh Bucks are currency for fresh food from local farms and producers.

You receive Fresh Bucks to use with market vendors when you use your credit card or Food Stamps / EBT card at the Farm Fresh RI table. Fresh Bucks make it easier to support local agriculture in Rhode Island!

Credits Cards and Food Stamps / EBT at the Farmers' Market
In 2008, eight farmers' markets have central booths with wireless card machines:

In addition, Food Stamps can be used for a seasonal subscription to veggies and fruits, with weekly payments and pick ups in one of three Providence locations. Choose a pickup day for CSA details:

Mondays – Upper South Providence (Scratch Farm CSA)
Thursdays – West End (Armory Market CSA)
Fridays – Kennedy Plaza (Downtown Market CSA)

	$1 Fresh Buck coins	$5 Fresh Buck coins
Swipe	EBT card credit card debit card	credit card debit card
Use at any farm or producer booth for	Locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs -- whatever is fresh! Cheese, honey, maple syrup, bread, pesto, jam, coffee beans and other foods that you're bringing home from the market Potted vegetable and herb plants	Locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs -- whatever is fresh! Cheese, honey, maple syrup, bread, pesto, jam, coffee beans Hot foods, prepared foods and baked goods Flowers, potted plants Non-food items Coins as gifts
Notes	Consistent with EBT guidelines we cannot give change for $1 coins.	Change is given in cash.

Why the Difference between $1 and $5 coins?
$1 coins have usage restrictions associated with the Food Stamp / EBT program.

Fresh Bucks as a Gift
Give the gift of the freshest food around. It's a gift of spontaneity that evolves with the seasons, a true taste of place. Stop by a farmers' market for a gift set to go along with your Fresh Bucks gift to a special someone.

For Market Managers and Farmers

Get Fresh Bucks for Your Market
Fresh Bucks are metal coins in denominations of $1 and $5, first created for the 2007 growing season. Fresh Bucks are an easy way to allow Credit Card users and Food Stamp / EBT users to participate at your RI farmers' market.

Farmers' market managers or farmstands can contact Jessica to acquire Fresh Bucks coins for use at their Rhode Island market. We encourage markets to keep Fresh Bucks in circulation through the season, and have materials to help explain Fresh Bucks to market-goers.

To help you model your use of Fresh Bucks, here's how it works at Farm Fresh RI markets. Fresh Bucks are provided as a service to encourage patronage of the local farmers' market. Farm Fresh RI runs a booth at the market that serves as a single "point of sale" with a wireless card processing machine. Customers swipe a Credit Card for $1 or $5 coins or an EBT card for $1 coins to spend at any food vendor. Food vendors can then redeem Fresh Bucks at the Farm Fresh booth and we write a check by the end of the market.

There are currently no redemption fees for farms or other participating vendors. Customers with credit cards are charged 50¢ or $1 for each transaction to cover the 2-3% processing fees we pay and our wireless service. While we may lose some money on larger credit card transactions, it is balanced by the smaller transactions, the convenience for customers and the increased revenue potential for local farms at the market. There are no fees for customers with Food Stamps / EBT cards.

Since $1 Fresh Bucks coins function as a scrip system that allows EBT users to participate in the market, the same restrictions that apply to EBT also apply to Fresh Bucks. (That is actually less of a limitation than you may think. EBT covers a much wider range of foods than WIC.) $1 coins can pay for any food item that is not served hot or for immediate consumption. $1 coins can also pay for food-growing plant starts. A cup of coffee, flowers, soap or a sandwich at the market is unfortunately off limits. Baked goods should be wrapped in a bag for consumption after the market. The USDA provides a full list of Food Stamp eligible items.

Consistent with EBT rules, there is no change given for $1 coins. It's not very hard for customers to spend the full $1 and serves as a commitment to supporting local food producers.

We make sure all of our vendors know these details. We display signage (see diagram at left) at our booth explaining Fresh Bucks to customers. We also provide point of sale signage for farmers and other vendors at the market saying "Fresh Bucks accepted". At the Farm Fresh booth we provide gift tags and a special baggie for customers purchasing Fresh Bucks as a gift.

Redeem Fresh Bucks
Farm Fresh RI will redeem Fresh Bucks from farmers and farmers' market managers for US dollars. Farmers at markets managed by Farm Fresh RI can receive same-day reimbursement by check. Contact Jessica for more info.