Support Sacramento County CalFresh at Farmers Markets Funding
Add your voice and advocate for CalFresh at Farmers Market funding
The County of Sacramento is set to receive $301.4 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and will be making major decisions about how this money is spent on September 14, 2021. We urgently need your help in highlighting the importance of allocating $1,216,302 (just .4% of ARPA funds) in order to provide CalFresh access at every Certified Farmers Market in Sacramento County for 3 years.
You can read more about the proposal at this link, or you can download the flyer here.
Sign the letter below
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How would these funds be distributed?
A: In order for a Farmers Market to become a Certified Farmers Market, the market manager must go through a detailed application process with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Because this process effectively vets a farmers market, our proposal is for a simple County-level application from each Certified Farmers Market. The amount of funding to be awarded would be determined by the number of months the market operates in a calendar year. Those funds would go directly to the market manager who must use them to facilitate CalFresh access at their market. It is up to the market manager whether they facilitate CalFresh in-house with their own staff or contract a third-party organization to assist them.
Q: Is this proposal asking for funds for Alchemist CDC?
A: No, Sacramento County has 24 certified farmers markets, most of whom facilitate CalFresh at their markets in-house with their own staff or do not offer CalFresh at all presently. The county funding would go directly to the market managers who can decide whether to facilitate CalFresh in-house or to contract a third-party organization. While Alchemist is eager to assist any market in CalFresh and Market Match access, it is Alchemist’s organizational preference that farmers market managers facilitate CalFresh in-house with their own staff.