2011 Report to the Community

Scan Our Progress

Read on to learn more about how marketumbrella.org

Learning, sharing, and growing, marketumbrella.org cultivates community markets that utilize local resources to bolster authentic local traditions. We believe that ambitious social, health, environmental, and financial goals are achieved if trust and respect are present. We envision communities of market umbrellas, like flowers in the field, opening all over the world for the public good. marketumbrella.org is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3).

2011: a Year of Learning, Sharing, and Growing

Learning

We learned a great deal this year by conducting SEED (Sticky Economy Evaluation Device) studies in New Orleans and three other cities to measure the economic impact of farmers markets, by investigating and synthesizing best practices for governmental regulation of markets; and by participating in policy discourse about innovative food systems.

Studying Economic Impacts in Other Cities

We learned how 9 farmers markets in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Los Angeles contribute to the economic health of their regions. With support from the Surdna Foundation, we deployed our economic impact measurement tool, SEED, to quantify benefit to vendors, nearby businesses, and the region. Even the smallest of these markets delivers an 18 to 1 benefit/cost ratio to the community’s economy. Additionally farmers markets performed competitively as retail institutions, averaging $1.79 in daily sales/sq. ft. (compared to the national supermarket average of $1.68).

Studying Regulatory Practices:

We recently partnered with a veteran urban planner to research and publish recommendations for local authorities keen to strike a balance between entrepreneurial flexibility for farmers markets and responsible regulation: zoning, licensing, taxation, and multi-stakeholder oversight. The full report will be available soon.

Studying Policy Discourse:

We learned how food systems innovations are playing out in the wider world of policy discourse. In June 2011, at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Executive Director Richard McCarthy served as a panelist discussing The Apple Pushers, a documentary about NYC food carts. He also contributed to the W. K. Kellogg food policy convening in Asheville, NC that resulted in the development of the Food Policy Lifeline for Children and Communities.

Sharing

We shared our knowledge in central Louisiana and in Baltimore, helping markets there grow capacity and expand their demographics. And at our own Crescent City Farmers Market, we continued to reach out to underserved and food-vulnerable individuals and families, improving access to healthful produce and better nutrition.

Capacity-Building in Louisiana:

We shared farmers market know-how with markets in Leesville, Natchitoches, and Oberlin. The capacity-building technical assistance was provided with support from the Rapides Foundation. Among other favorable outcomes, Oberlin received a highly coveted Farmers Market Promotion Program grant of $48,637 from the USDA to make the market more sustainable.

EBT in Baltimore:

We shared methods of integrating government food and nutrition programs into farmers market operations with such practitioners as the city of Baltimore. Working with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, we helped the iconic, 35-year-old, 30,000-square-foot Sunday Baltimore Farmers Market implement electronic benefit transfer (EBT) capabilities for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

MarketMatch for our cross-generational incentive campaign

Growing

Impact Measurement: We grew the Crescent City Farmers Market in ways that are quantifiable. For more than a decade, we have been developing a trio of tools to measure the triple bottom-line attributes of successful markets. SEED measures the financial capital, NEED the social capital, and FEED the human capital.

In April 2011, we presented the trio of tools to the Federal Reserve Bank Community Affairs Research Conference in Washington, DC. Meanwhile, we put these tools to work.

We deployed SEED in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, and New Orleans. The New Orleans study shows that our markets’ combined economic impact has increased by 15% from 2010 to 2011. Not bad for a community emerging from recession! Moreover, in 2011, sales per customer visit to the Saturday location equaled $31.50—a 38% increase since 2002. Why? Product diversification and the introduction of more proteins and ordinary foodstuffs, such as rice, have turned an “event market” into a shopping market.

Markets grow community cohesion and healthy relations to food. The NEED study sheds light on how the Market grows trust between disparate groups: Shoppers indicate that when given choice, 43% select vendors whom they favor (as opposed to other considerations, such as price or convenience). Similarly, vendors demonstrate their trust in shoppers: 56% allow customers to purchase on credit. Market neighbors also share a knowledge of and affection for the Market, with 67% shopping there.

Our cutting-edge FEED tool evaluates links between consumer behavior and the food environment. By providing direct contact to food producers, markets disseminate culinary knowledge. 78% of adult market shoppers indicate that markets have introduced them to new foods. Moreover, 81% indicate that the Market influences the way they shop elsewhere. We will be publishing more results from these studies and offering these evaluation services to other markets.

Community Supported Fisheries (CSF):

We launched the first Community Supported Fisheries (CSF) project in the deep South. During Lent 2011, we piloted the Crescent City Supported Fisheries at the Thursday Market and introduced new Market shoppers to Louisiana fishers. Not only did 35 families serve fresh Louisiana seafood on Fridays, but 73% reported preparing certain seafoods for the first time.

The Next Generation:

We grew exciting new partnerships with educators and civic activists who share our concern for the next generation of good eaters. We worked with Edible Schoolyard New Orleans; LINKS, Inc.; and elementary schools and camps with USDA programs serving more than 50% of students.

Meet Me at the Market: Through classroom and market instruction, we reached 709 children ages 5–8. Before the spring semester visits, 24% of these kids had never tasted a Louisiana strawberry, 51% had never met a farmer, and 50% had never attended a farmers market.

Marketeer Club: The club grew by 39% since 2009, with 124 children receiving $5 in Market tokens on their birthdays in 2011 to help begin the lifelong love affair with food that is good, clean, and fair.

Growing New Leaders: We grew new food systems leaders by hosting an internship program with Bulldogs Across America, the LSU School of Public Health, and the Robertson Scholars Program.

Growing New Partnerships: We are especially grateful to growing partnerships with Catholic Charities, City of New Orleans Health Department, Eat for Life, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans, Kingsley House, Links Inc., Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Louisiana Public Health Institute, LSU School of Nursing, and the Prevention Resource Center at Tulane University.

We grew our online subscribers!

We went from 165 to over 1000 online subscribers to marketumbrella.org, surged to 3,795 Facebook fans, and added 207 Twitter followers. Please follow us online!

We grew our community of investors!

under $1,000

Alfred W. Brown, III
AM & GC Freeman III
Ann & Shaw Thompson
Anna Marie Seafood, LLC
Arthur Greenwald
Arthur W. Huguley, IV
Avery Bassich
Avery Corenswet
Bart Geraci
C.C. & Billy Langenstein
Carro Gardner
Catherine H Cary
Charles & Edith Dunn
Charlie & Lynn Smith
Christine & Joe Montz
Commanders Palace
Denice Derbes
Diana Pinckley
Dr. Donald C. Faust
Dr. Linda Usdin & Steen Bingler
Ellen Bentz
Ellie Decoursey
Elly Lane
Entergy New Orleans
Fortune Fish Company
H. Mortimer Favrot, Jr.
James & Mary Kilroy
Jane & Chip Leyens
Jill & Marc Winston
John Abajian
Judy Stavisky
Juliet Page
June E. Pennick
Karin Giger
Karin Smith & Ernie-Ro Bread Tastet
Katherine Saer
KatherineWhann
Kia & Christy Brown
L.L. Jay Schwall
La Divina*
Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company*
Leah and Sandy Whann
Leslie Ehret
Linda & Pierre Conner
Lisa Brooking
Lynn F. Dicharry
Mary & Miles Clements
Mary An Godshall
Mary K. Zervigon
Mathilde & Richard Currence
Monique & Bob McCleskey
Mrs. H.D. Graham
Nan Galloway
Nan Mauthe Barlow
Peter Trapolin
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Poppy Tooker
Randolph & Denise Sassone
Rebecca M Currence
Richard & Tish McCarthy III
Robin Barnes
Rosemarie B. Fowler
Roy O. Priest
Rufus M. Brown
Sarah and Tommy Usdin
Sharon Litwin
Sheldon Lykes
Smith's Creamery*
Stephanie Tortu
Susan Tucker
Suzanne W. Kearney
Swati Shah
Sybil M. & D. Blair Favrot Family Fund
Thomas and Dee Igou
Thomas Bourgeois
Three Brothers Farm, LLC
Tia N Roddy
Toni Montgomery

under $10,000

Cathy & Hunter Pierson
Ellen and Mac Ball
IBERIABANK
Kenneth & Margaret Saer Beer
Maura Sylvester
Newell-Usdin Fund
Penny & Jim Coulter
Reily Foods Company
Reily Foods Company*
Republic Beverage Company *
Ruth U. Fertel Foundation
Standard Coffee Company
Tabasco
Wallace Landry Family Foundation

under $50,000

Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF)
LA Department of Agriculture & Forestry
Tulane University*

over $50,000

F.B. Heron Foundation
Surdna Foundation, Inc.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
* in-kind donations

We need your support.

Shoppers, farmers, fishers, partners, supporters, and staff contribute to our success. Our local public face—the Crescent City Farmers Market—is both a platform for innovation and an initial point of distribution for a regional community of family enterprises that harvest and sell the fruits of their labor directly to shoppers three times weekly, rain or shine, in the heart of New Orleans.

We urge you to help us raise our market umbrellas year-round and for years to come. Please consider supporting the Crescent City Farmers Market with a tax-deductible contribution to marketumbrella.org.

Richard McCarthy
Co-founder, Executive Director

Margaret S. Beer
President, Board of Directors

Please contribute online at marketumbrella.org or mail contributions to

200 Broadway | Suite 107 | New Orleans, LA 70118 USA
504-861-4485 | admin@marketumbrella.org | www.marketumbrella.org

Cultivating the field of public markets for public good

marketumbrella.org timeline

1995

• opens Saturday Market

1996

• celebrates First Learned Festival of Heat

1997

• publishes 1st Green Paper: “Barriers to Growth”

1998

• establishes endowment at the Greater New Orleans Foundation

1999

• introduces commercial fishers to the family of Market vendors

2000

• opens Tuesday Market at Uptown Square

• launches Farmers Market Nutrition Program for seniors

2001

• launches Thursday Market in Mid City

2002

• attends UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa

• establishes the “Green Plate Special,” connecting chefs to their public

2003

• establishes “Festivus: A Holiday Market for the Rest of Us”

• creates the White Boot Brigade

2004

• establishes Wednesday Market in partnership with the historic French Market

2005

• creates wooden scrip system, begins accepting SNAP (food stamps)

• Hurricane Katrina

• reopens the Tuesday Market 10 weeks after Katrina

2006

• takes White Boot Brigade campaign to NYC, is featured on the Today Show

• reopens Saturday Market

• launches Crescent Fund: makes recovery grants to Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, Mary Queen of Vietnam, and Real Food Gulf Coast

2007

• conducts Transact research project in Brazil and Katrina zone

• takes White Boot Brigade to San Francisco

2008

• graduates from fiscal agent Loyola University to set up independent 501(c)(3) organization

• produces 30+ “Go Fish” teaching videos

• launches MarketMatch for Senior/FMNP

• designs and conducts Farmers Market Bingo teaching games for 600 seniors

2009

• launches MarketMatch for SNAP and WIC/FMNP

• conducts Transact research project field-testing FEED (Food Environment Evaluation Device)

2010

• BP oil spill

• launches first CSF (Community Supported Fisheries) in the Deep South during Lent

• with Wholesome Wave, launches MarinersMatch to provide grocery relief to BP-affected fishing families

• wooden token transactions surpass $373K

2011

• presents Transact evaluation methodology to the Federal Reserve Research Conference in Arlington, VA

• conducts SEED study at 9 markets in 3 cities

• launches Meet Me at the Market teaching tours for 1,000 grade-schoolers

• The MarketMatch family of incentives surpass $42K

• increases SNAP transactions by 424% since 2008

• joins forces with Fair Food Network, Wholesome Wave and Roots of Change to measure SNAP incentives

and onward!

Board of Directors

Margaret Saer Beer, President

Ann Thompson, Vice President

Jonah Dowling, Treasurer

Kerry Jones, Recording Secretary
Entergy New Orleans, Inc.

Kia Silverman Brown

Avery B. Corenswet
Ochsner Health System

Albert “Rusty” Gaudé, Jr.
LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant

Anthony Gregorio

 

Community Advisory Team

David Baker
The Louisiana Weekly

Stephanie B. Barksdale
Tulane University, Social Entrepreneurship Programming

Robin Barnes
GNO Inc.

Wayne Brown
Crescent Creams

Kristina Gibson
Catholic Charities

Kendra LeSar
Louisiana Public Health Institute

Danielle Paciera, RD, CCN

Cathy Pierson

Heather Robertson
Johndale Farms

Nancy Montoya
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Darlene Robért
Robért Fresh Market

Bill Ryals
Ryals Dairy

Alon Shaya
Domenica Restaurant

Maura Sylvester

Leah Whann

Sheila White
The State of Louisiana Office of Public Health (WIC)

 

Brain Trust

John Abajian*

Ben Burkett
Mississippi Association of Cooperatives and B&B Farms

Linetta Gilbert

Michael Kane
Tulane University’s School of Continuing Studies

Sharon Litwin*
NolaVie

Diana Pinckley
Pinckley Inc.

Roy Priest
Community Development Concepts, Inc.

Poppy Tooker
author and host of Louisiana Eats!

Ted Quant
Loyola University New Orleans Twomey Center for Peace through Justice

* Crescent City Farmers Market Co-Founder

Email finance@marketumbrella.org for downloadable PDFs of our 2011 financial statement and 990 filing.