Mission Statement

Provide opportunities for farmers and gardeners to sell their produce, meat, eggs, honey, flowers,  baked goods and value added products directly to consumers while providing consumers opportunities to buy locally produced goods directly from the farmers.  In doing this, the market increases the availability of local food while expanding and enhancing the economic strength of farmers in Western North Carolina thus contributing to the health and wealth of residents in the immediate and surrounding communities.  By promoting the economic possibility of farming, the market aims to maintain farming sales outlets for  farmers as well as facilitating a means for farming to continue being a viable career option for future generations.

NORTH ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET  Background  INFORMATION

The North Asheville Tailgate Market began in 1980.  In 2010 the market will be celebrating it's 30th Year Anniversary.  The market is the area's oldest producer-only farmers' market and continues to annually add new vendors to meet the increasing demand for local, fresh products. Having outgrown two previous locations, UNC Asheville is now graciously hosting the market each Saturday morning, providing ample parking for customers and vendors.   In the early years of the market, it was mostly an outlet for gardeners to sell their surplus produce to the public. Each Saturday the market has an attendance of over 40 vendors.  During the 2009 market season we estimated an average of 2,500 customers visit the market each Saturday throughout the season.  Today over 60% of the vendors earn their primary income from farming.

Section 2: Strengths of the Market

The market is a well run organization with 4 to 5 members serving on each of the following committees: (a) Membership Vendors, Product Mix (b)  Finance (c) Advertising/Publicity (d) Rules and Reselling (e) Crafts.  In addition, the market has 2 co-managers, an accountant and a paid Market Assistant.   Each Saturday the market offers an incredible abundance of produce from early May through Thanksgiving providing customers with local healthful food choices for three quarters of the year.  Because the market is "Producer only", the revenue generated from the market helps stimulate the local economy.  This outlet allows farmers and gardeners to sell their offerings at retail prices thus helping to preserve our farmlands while keeping the dollars spent in our community.   Because the majority of the vendors earn their primary income from the farm, customers are assured a vast array of produce each week throughout the season. The Public Transportation System runs directly by the market. Therefore, the market is accessible to our entire urban area, thus making it a definite option for families enrolled in the EBT program to attend the market weekly.   The majority of vendors offer advice and/or recipes for cooking with fresh produce that helps to encourage customers to try new products they might not even consider when shopping at a typical grocery store.  Our paid Market Assistant will be at the market each Saturday so that a dedicated person is available to handle EBT transactions in a consistent manner.  Because the market is hosted by UNC Asheville, it has ample customer parking and spaces for vendors. This means that with the expectation of the EBT program attracting additional customers to the market, the market can respond to the increased demand by adding additional vendors. The market already provides a number of services to the community.  It has always been a source for local food and in addition, unsold perishable produce is donated to the Society of St. Andrews, who arrives at the market each Saturday to pick-up donated produce for distribution to low-income neighborhoods and shelters.


Section 2: What if any Challenges might there be
implementing the program

Our paid Market Assistant is responsible for our markets daily operation. At this time we have not allocated vendor space for the North Asheville Tailgate Market (NATM) operations on site.  However, we plan on doing so for implementing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In previous years, our Market Assistant has intentionally wandered through the market, mingling with customers, ensuring that the farmers' are profitable and the customers have an incredible shopping experience. By establishing a space for the NATM operations,  the customers will know exactly where to find our Market Assistant when they need assistance or need to use their EBT/ATM card. In addition, we have estimated that the SNAP program will require an additional 4 hours per week of labor in accounting to balance transactions. This will require NATM to budget additional money for the Market Assistant Position. We are confident that we can fund this position as we have doubled the Market Assistant hours last year and the market continues to operate well within its annual budget.  To date the market has not used advanced technology such as the EBT card readers.  However, we are confident that we can implement such technology as we have some vendors who have previously worked as engineers in the computer software/hi-tech industry and others who have a college accounting degree and/or accounting experience.

Section 3: Please provide us with your comments on the demand for
SNAP participation and/or related merchant services

Although we have not done an official survey, each week at the market, vendors report that customers ask why NATM is not participating in the SNAP program.  These customer requests have motivated NATM to seek SNAP approval for the 2010 Market Season. In addition, each week vendors report that some customer's do not have enough cash with them to complete their shopping and so inquire about the proximity of ATM machines.  Offering merchant services will increase the sales at the market by providing customers with access to additional cash.


Section 3: Briefly provide a background description of the community
in which the market is located

The market is located on the UNC Asheville campus in Buncombe County, North Carolina.  Buncombe County has an approximate population of 229,047 and the eleventh largest city in the state.   The market is in an urban area easily accessible by the neighboring communities: City of Asheville, Montford, North Asheville, West Asheville, Weaverville, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and Biltmore Lake. The market is located in a mixed college/residential area.

Asheville Transit serves the UNC Asheville campus with four routes with two routes active during market hours.   The bus routes are intended to serve low income neighborhoods making NATM among the best in the state for potential EBT/SNAP customers.   The two routes that serve the market are:

Route 18 - Central Asheville loop which stops at the market every hour
Route 2 - Merrimon Ave which also stops at the market every hour

The Asheville area is known as a "gourmet food destination" and although NATM is located in an area renown for it's affluence, the market serves an area distinguished by independent restaurants serving local food and people from all sectors of society who support the local food movement.  NATM is a major contributor to this movement having served the community locally produced products for over 30 years.  Local independent businesses financially support NATM in becoming sponsors is just another example of the community support of the market.

The North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness is a new facility under construction on the UNC Asheille campus which is expected to open in 2011 and centered around UNC Asheville's new major in health and wellness promotion.  The  synergy between this new curriculum offered at UNC and with the availability of fresh, local food on campus at the North Asheville Tailgate Market is an incredible opportunity for public education focused around healthful food choices.


Section 4: Describe any current or planned activities/projects that
you, health professional or community partners
are linking with agricultural retailers (include any type of community activities/programs, for example 4-H/youth education activities, meals on wheels linkage, excess produce donation, fundraisers ,etc

The UNC Asheville Food for Thought cluster has been involved in multiple projects that link with local agricultural retailers over the last three years and will continue these programs and others like them in the upcoming academic year and years.  Projects are detailed below.

Informational Posters at the North Asheville Tailgate Market
Students in Plant Biology and Nutrition Food for Thought courses work together in teams to research a specific locally-available food plant and prepare a poster presentation geared to a general community audience.  The poster communicates nutritional and biological information about the plant, recipes, nutritional analysis of the recipes, and other pertinent information.  In addition, student teams create informational handouts that visitors can take-away with them.  Students display the posters at the North Asheville Tailgate Market during the academic year to help educate the consumer and promote use of the locally-available food plants at the market.

Farm and Food Tours
Students from various Food for Thought courses visit various local farms and food production facilities to learn about how their food is grown and produced.  Farmers share with students their experiences in a number of areas: growing and raising food, the marketing of their products, sustainability issues, economic impacts on their ability to continue farming. We are struck by the number of students who have never set foot on a farm prior to these tours. These tours enhance the students’ consciousness of where food comes from and what factors impact the availability of local food on their tables. It also gives students new ways of thinking about sustainability and food choices, while also providing direct contact with local entrepreneurs.  Toured farms/facilities include:  Flying Cloud Farm, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Coston Farm and Apple House, Warren Wilson Farms, Thatchmore Farms, and Blue Ridge Food Ventures.

Harvest Bounty Shared Meal
The Harvest Bounty Shared Meal requires students from multiple Food for Thought courses work in teams to plan, prepare and share a meal with invited guests.  Each team is constrained to a food type: all local foods, all organic foods, all whole foods or a reduced budget.  They must prepare a nutritionally balanced meal while also taking into consideration energy and food sustainability from farm to table, and the aesthetics and social aspects of presenting and consuming a delicious and enjoyable meal for twelve people.  All teams come together to eat their meal family style, on a September evening in Alumni Hall and much of the food prepared comes from vendors at the North Asheville Tailgate Market because of its on-campus location and market of locally-grown food.  After the dinner, each team analyzes and presents to the entire group their menu, meal sustainability, and the challenges of their constraint.  As such, the dinner is an academic exercise that focuses on the social, scientific, economic, and nutritional aspects of a student-prepared meal.

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP) Local Food Guide for Kids
The Senior Seminar course for Health and Wellness majors, under supervision of UNC-Asheville nutritionist Dr. Amy Lanou, are working with ASAP to develop a version of their Local Food Guide for kids including information about local food, games and activities to get children interested in eating local food.

Organic Growers School
The 2010 Organic Growers School was recently held on the campus of UNC Asheville.


Section 5: Briefly describe your understanding of community and household needs with your markets' enrollment in the USDA FNS Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Thirty-eight percent of our customers attending the market weekly live in the North Asheville area.  They have a median age of 42 and a median household income of $42,263.  Approximately 4.8% of this group of customers has incomes below poverty level.  Our best estimates indicate that the customers from this area of our community intentionally do their weekly shopping at the market.  They want to keep their dollars in their community and they want to eat fresh, local healthy food.  This group of customers would benefit most from ATM/Credit Card Merchant Services being requested.  Another 24% of our customers come from Downtown Asheville and West Asheville,  an area with a median age of 35, and a median household income of $20,805.  Twenty-two percent of the customers in this group have incomes below poverty level.  This group of customers could benefit most from the SNAP program and we feel confident that in implementing this program we would significantly increase the percent of customers attending the market weekly from both the Downtown and West Asheville areas.  The Public Transportation System mentioned earlier makes it feasible for those without vehicles to attend the market weekly.  In addition, the Downtown and West Asheville communities consists of many young families so the SNAP service would provide an excellent opportunity in making Fresh, Local Food accessible to a community that might not otherwise have it. Downtown Asheville is approximately 5 minute driving distance from the market while West Asheville is approximately 11 minutes.
 

The necessity for healthy, affordable options for all levels of income especially our children, is not only a concern for the Asheville community, but our nation in general. Having NATM participate in a community outreach program such as this, will allow more families in the Asheville area to have access to fresh, local food, which plays a major part in families maintaining a well-balanced nutritious diet.


Section 5: Please describe additional community need, market and consumer demand, community partnership and market capacity

ASAP partnership with Department of Social Services
Last year ASAP worked with the Department of Social Services (DSS) in promoting market offerings by providing DSS with weekly flyers with the foods that would be available at the market. DSS distributed these flyers in their Food and Nutrition Services area.  ASAP plans on continuing this outreach program for the 2010 market season.

ASAP community outreach with nutritional education
Last year ASAP worked with various social workers in incorporating the local tailgate markets into their programs related to nutritional education.  ASAP plans on extending these programs with DSS, Buncombe County Health Center, YMCA, YWCA, and other groups that have nutrition education classes to encourage them to promote the tailgate markets in their classes and consider purchasing tokens to give to their participants.