How our local farmers’ market turns the table and empowers kids
by Natalie Evans
Editor’s Note: Bellevue’s Cultural and Economic Vitality Office is proud to sponsor the Bellevue Farmers’ Market. We asked Executive Director Natalie Evans to share something that inspires her about the market.
When I started at the Bellevue Farmers’ Market in 2015, I was coming from a job teaching life skills like cooking, nutrition, and budgeting to high school students. I loved working with the young people, so naturally one of the first things that stood out to me about the farmers’ market were the kids. There were so many families that attended the market each week to eat and do their shopping. But as I paid more attention I noticed parents were the main ones interacting with vendors and picking out groceries while the kids followed them from booth to booth. I started to wonder what it would look like if the roles were reversed…
Out of this question the Power of Produce Club was born.
The “POP” Club is a free program that provides fun, hands-on opportunities for children to learn more about food by engaging with farmers, educational activities, and trying new foods. Every week POP kids check in, they get to try two bites of a new fruit or vegetable. Even if they don’t like it, they get rewarded for trying — with $2 of POP tokens they can spend on produce at the market. The vision was to empower kids to make their own shopping decisions, increase interaction between families, food, and farmers, and teach basic financial literacy to our market’s youngest consumers.
Our first year of POP Club in 2016 we ran for 12 weeks and had 200 kids participate. This year we expanded it to run for all 22 weeks of the market season and, in just over 1 month, already have 900 kids signed up!
Two weeks ago, Eva and her mom Monique came to the market and signed up to be a POP kid. Our Two Bite Challenge that day was spinach…not the easiest food for kids to warm up to, and Eva was no different. But, after a little encouragement, Eva put the leaf in her mouth and chewed — hesitantly and then enthusiastically. Surprisingly, Eva ended up loving the spinach and asking for another! Monique was shocked. “You don’t understand,” she kept saying, “this is a big, BIG deal! She doesn’t eat spinach!” Eva beamed as she got her $2 POP tokens and waved as she walked off to shop the market — with her mom in tow.
If you want your kid or a kid you love to be part of POP Club at the Bellevue Farmers Market, you can learn more here and sign up any Thursday at the market.
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Natalie Evans is the Executive Director of the Bellevue Farmers’ Market. She is passionate about local food, building community, and working with others to encourage movements of justice and leave a better world for the next generation.
