Westminster Farmers’ Market manager Jackie Coldsmith, right, helps Westminster resident Erlinda West pick herb plants.
Written By Anne Blue, Photos by: Phil Grout
If you ask George Perkins about vegetables, he will tell you that he does not really like them. His aversion might come from his childhood memories of many hot and dirty hours weeding the large garden his father loved to plant every year.
“My favorite vegetables are tomato, lettuce, and bacon,” said Perkins, a retired Carroll County resident and community volunteer.
What George Perkins really loves is making the world a better place by solving problems and creating solutions that help other people in his community.
In 2009, Perkins began to volunteer with Carroll County Food Sunday (CCFS), a non-profit organization that helps needy Carroll County residents to meet their emergency and supplemental food needs.
During the summer months, Perkins noticed that producers from the Downtown Farmers’ Market across the street from CCFS occasionally brought leftover vegetables for the CCFS clients. Although CCFS clients did not always recognize the vegetables nor know how to prepare them, they were always excited by the donations. Around this time, Perkins also read a newspaper article about an effort to promote local farmers’ markets.
Then, as Perkins is prone to do, he connected two needs and created an effective solution. He met with several community leaders to discuss the feasibility of a voucher program that would give CCFS clients an opportunity to buy fresh fruits and vegetables directly from producers at the farmers’ markets.
“I envisioned it as a win-win situation – good for the CCFS clients and good for the producers,” said Perkins. In August of 2009, he convinced the Board of CCFS to give his idea a try and the Veggie Voucher Program was born.
During the farmers’ markets season, CCFS distributes Veggie Voucher booklets on a weekly basis to their clients. Each booklet contains five $1 vouchers that clients can use to buy food directly from producers at the farmers’ markets. The farmers then redeem the vouchers through CCFS.
“The CCFS clients get to buy really good quality, healthy, local produce,” said Jackie Coldsmith, co-manager of the Downtown Westminster Farmers’ Market. “And, it is great for our producers because they know the voucher program will bring more customers to the market and boost their sales.”
For the first season, Perkins personally paid for printing the voucher booklets and made the rounds of the farmers’ markets to explain the new program and recruit producers who wanted to participate. He also tracked the number of vouchers redeemed and the amount paid to producers.
In 2009, clients used 45 percent of their vouchers and market producers redeemed $12,815 worth of Veggie Vouchers. CCFS clients have used more vouchers every year since and the program has expanded to include producers who want to participate at all the farmers’ markets in Carroll County. In 2012, CCFS distributed more than 6,500 voucher booklets. Clients redeemed more than 68 percent of their vouchers and producers redeemed $22,745.
The success of the Veggie Voucher Program drew the attention of United Way of Central Maryland when they launched their “Healthy Food Initiative” in 2011.
“Our goal is to help connect the needy with healthier food options,” said Elizabeth Crammond, program specialist for United Way of Central Maryland. “CCFS best understands the needs of hungry people in Carroll County, and after meeting with members of their Board, we agreed to grant $15,000 towards the Veggie Voucher Program for the summer of 2012.”
“Because of the amazing success of this program, United Way of Central Maryland will continue to fund it at the same level in 2013” said Crammond.
“The Veggie Voucher Program works for several reasons,” said Perkins. “It is convenient for CCFS, their clients, and the producers. It allows clients to get better nutrition through fresh fruits and vegetables as well as education from the farmers about how to prepare and eat the food. The producers have more revenue and a direct means of interacting with needy people, and CCFS better serves its clients.”
“This is not my story,” said Perkins. “This is a story about CCFS, their clients, and the farmers. I may be a creator, facilitator and a solution finder, but nothing can be accomplished without the key ingredients of willing people and organizations. They are the success of the story.”
