$1.1M in provincial funding helps grow farmers’ program

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This article was published 16/11/2022 (1413 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A non-profit organization connecting farmers with Manitobans in need — a program which, months earlier, risked extinction — is set to last another three years.

“We are beyond thrilled,” Kristie Beynon, Direct Farm Manitoba’s executive director, wrote in an email.

The non-profit is receiving almost $1.1 million from the province over the next three years to expand its food currency initiative.

“We have never been able to meet the demand,” said Justin Girard, a director on Direct Farm Manitoba’s board. “(This is) huge.”

Last summer, organizers dispensed vouchers to eight community groups. The coupons circulated through five Manitoba farmers markets.

A total $60,000 worth of vouchers reached Manitobans accessing organizations like the Fort Garry Women’s Resource Centre, the Behavioural Health Foundation and Mrs. Lucci’s Resource Centre, according to Beynon.

People using services took home the vouchers — a value of $24 per sheet — and could later spend them at farmers markets in St. Norbert, South Osborne, Carman, Morden and Lac du Bonnet.

“It’s a win-win situation,” said Danielle Mondor, St. Norbert Farmers’ Market’s executive director.

“Farmers are winning because the dollars are being spent here, and eaters are winning because they are getting the benefits of eating fresh produce.”

Mondor figures $10,000 worth of vouchers ended up at St. Norbert Farmers Market last summer. Vendors trade the vouchers for cash at the market.

“We noticed a lot of people really wanting to use the coupons, not just for vegetables, but for meat and honey and grains and other things,” Mondor said.

The program, which launched in 2020, brings new faces to farmers markets, Mondor said. It might help break the stereotype of such markets being for the upper class, she added.

“It’s a great way to elevate the industry as a whole while supporting health for Manitobans,” Mondor said. “Because it’s long-term funding, there is an opportunity to get to know these foods better, get to know how to cook them… it’s not just a one-off.”

There’s also time to build relationships with local producers, Mondor said.

In the past, Direct Farm Manitoba has used funding from the province, Ottawa, The Winnipeg Foundation and fundraising.

This is the first time money hasn’t come right before farmers market season begins, Girard said.

“That’s going to make a huge difference to the efficacy of this program,” he said, adding there’s more time to plan and budget.

He learned about the new government dollars Monday. The board will gather soon to discuss the program’s future, he said.

Direct Farm Manitoba aims to expand its voucher initiative to around 24 markets next summer, according to Beynon.

“The number of community partners will also grow, as larger markets can accommodate more than one partner,” she wrote.

Voucher sheets will provide more money — likely $28 each — next year, Beynon added. In the past, recipients could take at least one page weekly.

“A lot of the organizations that were sending participants to the famers markets could’ve used more money, but we didn’t have it,” Girard said.

He expects current partners will receive more vouchers next year.

The program lasts 14 weeks, with most farmers markets collecting between June and September. At least 90 per cent of vouchers had been used this year by more than 240 households, with reporting ongoing, Beynon said.

“There’s going to be more demand for the program now than before,” Girard said, highlighting increased food prices.

In September, Manitoba’s inflation rate increased 8.1 per cent compared to the year prior. Food banks are reporting increased numbers of visitors; the Christmas Cheer Board of Winnipeg received more than 13,000 calls within the first hour of starting its phone line.

The province will give Direct Farm Manitoba up to $360,000 per year for the program, ending in 2025, according to a provincial spokesperson.

“We will review the program in 2025 against the objectives of the program and government priorities at that time,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “The commitment at this time is for 2023 through 2025.”

In April, Beynon called for $350,000 from the province so the voucher program could run in 2022.

The program ran this year due to community donors, including a grant through an anonymous fund at The Winnipeg Foundation.

The year prior, Direct Farm Manitoba dispersed $69,000 worth of food currency to 242 households.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com