Martin Area Farmers Market awarded $30k Project Diabetes grant
PRESS RELEASE FROM MARTIN FARMERS MARKET:
Martin Area Farmers Market Awarded $30k Project Diabetes Grant
[Martin, TN, Sept. 27, 8:30am] — On Saturday, September 27th at 8:30am the Martin Area Farmers Market and the City of Martin are officially launching a “Power of Produce (PoP)” kids club, “Market Mile” program for adults, and monthly UTM cooking classes at 8:30am. All of the programs are made possible by a nearly $30,000 grant for the next two years under the Project Diabetes Grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. The launch is in conjunction with the UTM Family Weekend at the Market special event, there will be live music, harvest basket drawings, children’s activities and more.
The Power of Produce (PoP) Kids club is a program for children 0-18 to learn about produce, agriculture and healthy eating. Children participate in the weekly activities and earn a token equivalent to $3 to spend on fresh produce at the market.
The Market Mile is an incentive program for adults to walk/run a mile on the Brian Brown Memorial Greenway adjacent to the market pavilion during Saturday market hours. After completion, participants receive a token to spend on fresh produce at the market.
The UTM Cooking classes will utilize the produce that vendors donate to Captain’s Pantry in partnership with the Department of Housing. Cooking classes are led by a trained chef to empower students to cook meals from scratch using locally available produce and other low-cost ingredients. Participants will receive a token to purchase fresh produce at the market the following week.
The market co-manager, Caroline Ideus stated that “We are very fortunate to receive this grant, as the process is extremely competitive. The managers and the City of Martin believe that when people of all ages are engaged with the local food system, everyone benefits by improving their physical and mental health.”
The inspiration to apply for the grant came from the managers’ experience working in the local food system and learned that according to 2024 TN Kids Count Data, 21% of Weakley County Children are Food Insecure, higher than the state average. Likewise, 17% of Adults in Weakley County are Food Insecure according to Map the Meal Gap by Feeding America. Participants in the new programming will be able to have barrier free access to local and fresh foods.
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