WAYS TO SUPPORT MFM
We hope you support our organization and your local farmers markets.
Supporting Mass Farmers Markets helps to sustain and create vibrant marketplaces providing local food access for all of our neighbors.
Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting Mass Farmers Markets mission to partner with farmers, consumers and communities to improve life through access to healthy local food, strengthened community vitality, and enhanced farm sustainability.
Farmers markets have always been vital to the communities they serve. Prior to the pandemic, 229 farmers markets operated throughout the state serving nearly 5M people.
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They:
•Support the livelihood of farmers and keep farms operating;
•Support our environmental goals, by making working landscapes profitable;
•Provide opportunities for burgeoning food entrepreneurs;
•Create environments where families can learn about and explore new and healthy food. -
● Healthy outdoor environments that provided a sense of safety through enhanced COVID protocols;
● Diminished the sense of isolation while reducing the anxiety associated with seeing other people;
● Enhanced access to important nutrition incentives such as HIP/ SNAP/ P-SNAP and SNAP Match benefits. -
Markets continue to be vulnerable. For what they provide, they are under-supported and under-resourced.
Markets are primarily organized by volunteers, many of whom:
•Are retired and at high risk for the coronavirus;
•Didn’t have the financial resources that the pandemic regulations required; and
•Simply hadn’t signed up to be “front-line” workers.•Massachusetts’ Pandemic Food Security Infrastructure Grant program didn’t apply to farmers markets. After the final disbursement, farmers markets received only $2000 of the $54M.
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They struggled, and continue to struggle to find grant funds and sponsors willing to provide the financial resources necessary to operate. A value judgment was made, a social agreement of sorts, to create inexpensive marketplaces so that farmers can retain the highest possible return for their farm goods. But marketplaces take time, money, and lots of human capital to create and sustain.
It is time we support the important work market managers provide in creating farmers markets
In 2023, Mass Farmers Markets is working to increase support of markets across the Commonwealth as we further emerge from the pandemic.
Our work will be to strengthen the farmers market industry by finding and bringing increased resources to those who are doing the work.
We cannot do this work without you. Together, with your financial donation, we can support our communities and the local food system in a lasting way.
Please join us by donating to Mass Farmers Markets. Every Dollar counts! Consider becoming a sustaining monthly donor.
Other ways to support
Sponsor a Market
Sponsoring one of Mass Farmers Markets’ five markets provides maximum visibility and interaction with Boston-area shoppers. With nearly 250,000 shoppers attending our markets in 2023, your brand or organization will have the opportunity to connect with a massive and diverse shopper base.
Sponsoring a farmers market positions you as a community leader, demonstrating a deep commitment to bolstering the local economy and small businesses, supporting local agriculture and sustainability, and enhancing food access for all. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with new audiences and consumers who share these same values.
For more information about sponsoring one of our five markets, please reach out via email to sponsor@massfarmersmarkets.org.
Walk for Hunger 2024
Mass Farmers Markets is excited to be part of Project Bread's 56th Annual Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 5th, 2024. We've established a team, and we invite you to help us in our fundraising efforts by joining us through our team page: Mass Farmers Markets Team Page. Of the funds we raise, 60% will support our initiatives at Mass Farmers Markets, focusing on local anti-hunger programs, and 40% will contribute to Project Bread’s statewide initiatives.
This year, there are four exciting options to participate in the Walk for Hunger:
Register to join main Project Bread Walk for Hunger 3-mile "Walk the Common" on Sunday, May 5th.
Register for the “Walk Your Own Way” walk in your own neighborhood on Sunday, May 5th.
Register to join our Executive Director, Edith Murnane, for a specially curated 3-mile "Foodie Walk" through the North End, Copley, Greenway, or Chinatown—more details to come.
If walking is not for you, you can still support our efforts by donating and cheering us on from home.
In Massachusetts, where 1 in 4 families are facing food insecurity, your involvement can significantly impact. By contributing to our team, you're supporting the health and wellbeing of families and seniors in our community and bolstering the fight against hunger across the state. Are you ready to join us in making a difference? Join our team today or contact us at fundraising@massfarmersmarkets.org if you have any questions.
Order a MA Food Plate for your Car
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Sponsoring one of Mass Farmers Markets’ three markets provides maximum visibility and interaction with Boston-area shoppers. With nearly 250,000 shoppers attending our 3 markets in 2021, your brand or organization will have the opportunity to connect with a massive and diverse shopper base.
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Mass Farmers Markets has joined Project Bread's The Walk for Hunger to support our food access programs. Funds raised from this event and other fundraising efforts MFM has planned throughout the year will help broaden the reach and efficacy of these vital services. Learn more.
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Mass Farmers Markets has joined Three Squares New England’s Ride for Food to support our food access programs. Funds raised from this event and other fundraising efforts MFM has planned throughout the year will help broaden the reach and efficacy of these vital services. Learn more.
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Vehicle Donations are a unique and impactful giving option that helps Mass Farmers Markets. Your unwanted car, truck, boat, motorcycle, SUV or even plane can be accepted as a donation. Learn more here
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. Registering for a new AG plate is easy and can be done entirely online! Each plate registered helps support:
• Mass Farmers Markets
• New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
• The Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts -
We are always looking for volunteers! Volunteering for MFM means assisting us in our critical work with an equal amount of fun!