It’s National Farmers Market Week! Fresh Bucks helps Seattle communities access fresh, local food

This week for National Farmers Market Week, communities across the country are celebrating the vital role farmers markets have in bringing people together around fresh, locally grown food. Seattle goes big for Farmers Market Week, encouraging you to utilize your Fresh Bucks at these amazing markets!  

Fresh Bucks, operated by our OSE team, is the City’s healthy food access program. Fresh Bucks provides households $60 per month to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at 55+ participating retailers, including farmers markets.  

We’ve partnered with farmers markets for more than 10 years because they are more than just places to buy fresh produce. Farmers markets are gathering spots, economic engines, and essential to building a resilient and accessible local food system for all.

Even though Fresh “Bucks” doesn’t look like cash, it directly supports small businesses, vendors, and farmers at neighborhood markets. By accepting Fresh Bucks, farmers markets expand their customer base and revenue while nourishing more communities with fresh, healthy foods during peak seasons for flavor and nutrition. Fresh Bucks is fully supported by local funding.

During the summer, Fresh Bucks customers can shop at a farmers market any day of the week!  Fresh Bucks now partners with 23 farmers markets and counting. Find all Seattle Farmers Market locations on the Fresh Bucks website!

This year, City funding expanded access to farmers markets in neighborhoods where community members have had fewer nearby options for fresh, affordable food. This Farmers Market Week, we’re celebrating new markets in Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach and expanded market days and food access programs at the Delridge, Georgetown, and South Park markets.  

Expanded markets in Georgetown, South Park, and Delridge  

“The funding allowed us to grow from a pilot market to a full 22-week season,” said Debra Broz, executive director of Georgetown Business Association, which operates the market. “In the Georgetown neighborhood, being able to offer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-EBT, Market Match, and Fresh Bucks is really important for our residents, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer these benefits. It’s been a beautiful thing to have fresh, local produce and prepared goods available for the residents in this neighborhood!”  

Seattle’s Duwamish Valley Program, which supports community-led development and climate resilience, helped launch the first Georgetown Farmers Market last year and supported Cultivate South Park to host events like El Mercadito. The Georgetown Farmers Market is open every Thursday from 3-7 PM and has added affordability programs, including Fresh Bucks, SNAP-EBT, SNAP Market Match, and free produce distributions.

South Park’s El Mercadito, which takes place every Tuesday from 4-7 PM, is a youth-run sliding-scale market supported by City funding. El Mercadito does not take Fresh Bucks but is unique because anyone can walk away with fresh produce for the week, regardless of income. Cultivate South Park has other exciting food programs in the works, including a future partnership with Fresh Bucks.

Delridge has expanded and moved to a new location for its market, Saturdays from 10-2 PM. “We started the Delridge Farmers Market out of calls from our youth to build healthier food access in the neighborhood. A lot of folks were relying on convenience stores or taking the bus out of the neighborhood to get their weekly groceries,” said Indra Budiman, the farmers market manager. “We wanted to build something that felt like it belonged to the community, a place where our neighbors can find unique cultural foods and have a dignified, welcoming experience regardless of their income – not just a place to shop.” 

New markets in Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach 

New farmers markets in Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach are bringing more fresh, local food options to South Seattle communities.  

Rainier Beach Farmers Market, from Rainier Beach Action Coalition, happening every last Tuesday of each month, is offering a produce buyback program to its farmers, in partnership with the Rainier Valley Food Bank, to ensure their leftover harvests don’t go to waste at the end of market days.  

Beacon Hill Farmers Market, organized by Beacon Business Alliance, is held on the first and third Saturdays of each month from 11-4 PM across from the Beacon Hill Library. Along with a variety of farm-fresh produce, baked goods, and beverages, you’ll find resources from mutual aid and community organizations, plus live music and writing workshops from Gloomszn’s jam tent.  

Building a strong food system, together 

The positive impacts of Fresh Bucks on health and wellbeing are also being recognized beyond Seattle. Just before farmers market week, local U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) celebrated the introduction of the Fresh Bucks for Fresh Produce Act at Food Lifeline in South Park. The Act is federal legislation inspired by Seattle’s innovative approach to increasing access to healthy food.  

Grab your Fresh Bucks card or app and celebrate with us! Whether you’re discovering a new market or visiting your weekly favorite, National Farmers Market Week is a great time to support local farmers and stock up on delicious seasonal produce. You can explore all Fresh Bucks retailers, from neighborhood grocers to supermarkets, on our website.  

If you’re interested in Fresh Bucks, you can apply for the Fresh Bucks waitlist. Eligible applicants are randomly selected for enrollment as spots become available. The City’s Assistance and Discount page can help you explore other affordability programs based on your income and household.   

We’ll see you at a farmers market!