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Adrienne D’Alo, Chelsea Hultz, Simone Mack, & Tori Sanchez HLED 410: Health Communication and Social Marketing Western Washington University Spring 2015

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Page 1: Adrienne ’Alo, helsea Hultz, · table of contents executive summary 5 summary of formative research 7 formative research: surveys 8 formative research: focus group guide 12 data

Adrienne D’Alo, Chelsea Hultz,

Simone Mack, & Tori Sanchez

HLED 410: Health Communication

and Social Marketing

Western Washington University

Spring 2015

Page 2: Adrienne ’Alo, helsea Hultz, · table of contents executive summary 5 summary of formative research 7 formative research: surveys 8 formative research: focus group guide 12 data
Page 3: Adrienne ’Alo, helsea Hultz, · table of contents executive summary 5 summary of formative research 7 formative research: surveys 8 formative research: focus group guide 12 data

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

SUMMARY OF FORMATIVE RESEARCH 7

FORMATIVE RESEARCH: SURVEYS 8 FORMATIVE RESEARCH: FOCUS GROUP GUIDE 12 DATA ANALYSIS 15

SUMMARY OF MESSAGES AND MATERIALS 21

DEVELOPED AND TESTED MESSAGES 23 DEVELOPED AND TESTED MATERIALS 24

PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN MATERIALS 29

PRESS RELEASE 29 RADIO PSA 30 FINAL MATERIALS 30

PRESENTATION 31

OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS 33

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 33

APPENDIX 34

LOGIC MODEL 34 FOCUS GROUP TRANSCRIPTIONS 35 LITERATURE REVIEW ARTICLES 52

REFERENCES 55

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Page 5: Adrienne ’Alo, helsea Hultz, · table of contents executive summary 5 summary of formative research 7 formative research: surveys 8 formative research: focus group guide 12 data

RUNNING HEAD: FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 5

Executive Summary

According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps people with low income to buy more nutritious food. However, even with SNAP benefits, individuals and families still find it difficult to purchase and incorporate healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets. As a way to rectify this issue, as well as to stimulate the local economy, Washington State has begun the ‘Fresh Bucks’ program. Fresh Bucks is an incentive program for SNAP users that matches each SNAP dollar spent on SNAP eligible food items, up to $10 a day; Fresh Bucks is available to SNAP users at local farmers markets and other partnering organizations, including the Bellingham Farmers Market and the Whatcom County Community Food Co-Op.

The Whatcom County Health Department (WCHD) is in their second year of implementing the Fresh Bucks program. The first year of the program was highly successful in increasing purchases at the Farmers Market as well as increasing healthy food purchases among SNAP users. However, data indicated Fresh Bucks was underutilized by two groups: families and one-time-users of the program. This led to the creation of a social marketing campaign, in hopes to increase nutritious food consumption in these segments of the Bellingham community.

The main focus of the Fresh Bucks social marketing campaign was to increase awareness of the program and its benefits to families and one-time-users. An increase in program awareness would allow for the program goal to be met: ‘encourage families and one-time-users of the program to purchase and consume fresh fruits and vegetables from places like the Farmers Market’. Various behavior, knowledge, and beliefs objectives were created to guide the program, to be successful in reaching the program’s overall goal.

In order to best tailor the Fresh Bucks campaign to the intended audience, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to determine the distribution and communication channels. Focus groups and surveys were used for formative research for the campaign; focus groups were used again to pretest the campaign materials. Due to time constraints, initial pretesting was done using the previous year’s messages and materials.

The data collected during formative research indicated that there were minimal differences in the segmented audiences and that the campaign should focus on branding of the Fresh Bucks name. When asked about the program, a majority of people did not know what Fresh Bucks was. Upon further explanation of the Fresh Bucks program being a match program for SNAP users available at locations such as the Farmers Market, participants indicated they knew what the program was. This indicated a need to get more awareness about the Fresh Bucks program. Additional data included preferred messages and colors for campaign materials. Participants indicated use of the words ‘free’ and/or ‘extra’ on a poster would grab their attention. After modifying and adding to existing Fresh Bucks materials, the materials were again tested among a focus group. This led to further revisions of campaign materials, which led to the final mocks up to be used by the WCHD.

Formative research and pretesting prompted the formation of the Fresh Bucks marketing mix. The core product of this program was better health outcomes for SNAP users due to increased healthy food options in their diets. The actual product of the campaign was fresh fruits and vegetables. Augmented products included campaign materials such as posters

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 6

and recipe cards, as well as incentive money that allowed purchase of the actual product of the campaign.

Additional components of the marketing mix that were considered were price and place. The monetary price was both high and low for the target audience. Due to the matched incentive, the cost was decreased for those who utilized Fresh Bucks. However, because of the high cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, as compared to other SNAP eligible food items, the overall monetary cost of the program was still high for most SNAP users. Additionally, transportation to places like the Farmers Market and the Co-Op were an added cost that was considered during this campaign. There were also non-monetary prices of the Fresh Bucks program. For example, inconvenience of shopping at more than one location because you cannot pick up all grocery needs at the Farmers market, having to bring your children, or the possibility of picky-eaters not liking the healthier food options. Place was also considered for this program. During the first year of the program Fresh Bucks was only available at the market. The second year is expanding to partnering organizations like the Co-Op. This adds a convenience factor as there are multiple locations in Bellingham. Additionally, in future years, Fresh Bucks may be available at stores like Safeway, which have a wider variety of locations, as well as decreased cost associated with their products. In its first year of implementation, Fresh Bucks was promoted with a few key messages: 1) “Double your EBT dollars with Fresh Bucks,” 2) “Get up to $10 free,” and 3) “Go→ Swipe→ Double→ Shop.” These messages were seen through posters, bus ads, and postcards. Feedback received during focus groups regarding last year’s materials, as well as data regarding our two target audiences, led to the creation of the this year’s campaign materials. These materials included: postcards, posters, bus ads, and recipe cards; materials that were created used modified designs and messages from the previous year’s campaign. In the future, Fresh Bucks can be further promoted through key messengers such as Women’s, Infants, and Children (WIC), Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and the Opportunity Council.

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 7

Summary of Formative Research

In order to determine the messages and channels for this campaign, both qualitative

and quantitative methods were used. Focus groups and surveys were used as formative research and provided the shell of what this campaign would focus on. Focus groups were used again to pretest and further develop campaign materials. Formative research specifically focused on Fresh Bucks use at the Farmers Market, and in the future will also need to include insight into the program at the Community Food Co-op.

Qualitative methods included two focus groups. The first was to gain an understanding of what families living in Bellingham had experienced with the Farmers Market and the Fresh Bucks program. The focus group was conducted at Dorothy Place, a housing program for women who have experienced domestic violence. Women who participated in the focus group had children and were SNAP users. The questions focused on asking their opinions about the environment of the Market, if they had used Fresh Bucks before, what their eating habits looked like, transportation to the Market, and what they think popular and effective communication channels would be. In this first focus group, there were 13 women in attendance, and only a few had used Fresh Bucks before, but all of them had been to the Farmers Market at least once.

The second focus group was used as a time to pretest campaign materials with the same group of women who participated in the first focus group; there was a larger turnout of 16 women. This focus group was primarily about determining which location(s) would be the most effective for putting our materials for example, where and who they wanted materials from, what messages they liked on the materials, and what types of graphics and colors would catch their attention. During this focus group, participants were showed drafts of campaign materials; this included a poster, postcard, recipe card, bus advertisement, and a sticker.

The quantitative methods used for this campaign included a survey, both online and in-person. There were two types of surveys distributed; the online survey was a family survey (Survey F) and the in-person survey was for one-time users (Survey O). Survey F had more questions than Survey O, which asked about family environments and children attending the Farmers Market with them. Survey O was designed for users who had only used Fresh Bucks a couple times, and mainly those without families. Online surveys were posted on Canvas, an online tool for students at Bellingham Technical College (BTC).In-person surveys were distributed at common places SNAP users such as: DSHS, the Opportunity Council (OC), and the Farmers Market. Eighteen in-person surveys were collected, and 78 online surveys were completed. Both surveys asked about experiences at the Farmers Market, experiences using Fresh Bucks, transportation to the Market, how often they use their SNAP benefits at the Market, and more.

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 8

Formative Research: Surveys Survey O. Thank you for your participation and honesty in filling out this survey. Please answer the following questions as accurately as possible. Fresh Bucks is program that gives you extra money to spend on things like fruits and vegetables. It is currently offered at the Bellingham Farmers Market. When you use your SNAP benefits (also known as EBT) at the Market, you can get up to $10 matched for free. So, if you use your EBT card to get $10, you actually get $20 back to spend!

1. How often do you feel like you eat healthy food? (Circle one)

Never About once a month About once a week Most meals on most days Every meal on most day

2. How often do you attend the Farmer’s Market? (Circle one)

Never Once a year A few times a year Once a month Twice a month Every week

3. Do you use your SNAP benefits at the Farmer’s Market?

□ Yes

□ No

4. How often do you use your EBT benefits what you go to the Farmer’s Market? (Circle one)

Never Rarely Sometimes Frequently Always

5. What do you like using about the Fresh Bucks program? Choose all that apply

Convenient location Cost-effective Ability to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables

Helps me support buying local food The environment of the market is good for bringing friends or family

Other (please specify)

6. What do you dislike about the Fresh Bucks program?

Location is difficult to access Even with matched money, I still don’t have enough

I don’t know what fruits and vegetables to buy

I don’t know how to cook/prepare the food I buy at the Farmers Market

The environment of the market isn’t good for bringing friends or family

Other (please specify)

7. If you only use Fresh Bucks rarely, what might make you want to use it more often? (Answer below)

8. If you were to go to the Farmers Market, how would you get there? (Circle one)

Drive my car Catch a ride from someone else Take the bus

Walk Ride my bike I don’t have a way Other (please specify)

9. How easy or difficult do you think it is to get the Farmers Market?

Extremely difficult Somewhat difficult Somewhat easy Very easy

10. When you think about going to do your grocery shopping, what factors are most important to you? You may

choose more than one option.

Convenience One-stop shopping

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 9

Inexpensive prices Quality products

Shopping at multiple locations for the best deals Quality of environment of store

A place you feel safe bringing your children with you Other (please specify)

11. What influences you to use your SNAP benefits at locations besides the Farmers Market? (i.e., Fred Meyer,

Haggen, Trader Joe’s, etc.)

Cheaper Better location

Hours are more accessible for me Other (please specify)

12. What do you think would be the best way to spread information about the Fresh Bucks program? (Circle one)

Ads in the newspaper Getting something in

the mail

Postcards Billboards Facebook

Twitter Email Text Messages Social service agents Ads inside WTA bus

(not the big signs on the

side of busses)

Optional:

13. How old are you? (Circle one)

Under 24 25-29 30-35 36-39 Over 40

14. Do you have children?

□ Yes (if yes what ages _____________________?)

□ No

15. Which neighborhood do you live in?

Alabama Hill Barkley Birchwood City Center Columbia

Cordata Cornwall Park Edgemoor Fairhaven Happy Valley

Irongate King Mountain Lettered Streets Meridian Puget

Roosevelt Samish Sehome Silver Beach South

South Hill Sunnyland WWU Whatcom Falls York Other (please specify)

16. What is your race?

American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

White Mixed Other (please specify) Prefer not to answer

17. What is your sex?

□ Male

□ Female

□ Intersex

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 10

Survey F. Thank you for your participation and honesty in filling out this survey. Please answer the following questions as accurately as possible. Fresh Bucks is program that gives you extra money to spend on things like fruits and vegetables. It is currently offered at the Bellingham Farmers Market. When you use your SNAP benefits (also known as EBT) at the Market, you can get up to $10 matched for free. So, if you use your EBT card to get $10, you actually get $20 back to spend!

1. How often do you attend the Farmers Market? (Circle one)

Never Once a year A few times a year Once a month Twice a month Every week

2. Do you use your SNAP benefits at the Farmer’s Market?

□ Yes

□ No (skip to question 5)

3. If you answered yes to question #3 how often do you use your SNAP benefits when you go to the Farmers

Market?

Rarely (once a summer) Sometimes (once a month) Frequently (most weeks) Always (every week)

4. How did you hear about the Fresh Bucks program? (Circle one)

Organizations (DSHS, Opportunity Council,

Head Start, etc…)

Friend or family Social Media (Facebook, etc.)

Ads on the bus I haven’t heard of it before today Other (please specify)

5. How easy is it for you to get to the Farmers Market?

Extremely difficult Somewhat difficult Somewhat easy Very easy

6. If you were to go to the Farmers Market, how would you get there? (Circle one)

Drive my car Catch a ride from someone else Take the bus

Walk Ride my bike I don’t have a way Other (please specify)

7. How family friendly do you think the Farmers Market is? (Circle one)

Extremely non-family friendly Somewhat non-family friendly Somewhat family friendly Extremely family friendly

8. When you think about going to do your grocery shopping, what factors are most important to you? You may

choose more than one option.

Convenience One-stop shopping

Inexpensive prices Quality products

Shopping at multiple locations for the best deals Quality of environment of store

A place you feel safe bringing your children with you Other (please specify)

9. What influences you to use your SNAP benefits at locations besides the Farmers Market? (i.e., Fred Meyer,

Haggen, Trader Joe’s, etc.)

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 11

Cheaper Better location

Hours are more accessible for me Other (please specify)

10. How often do you feel like you eat healthy food? (Circle one)

Never About once a month About once a week Most meals on most days Every meal on most days

11. How important is it to you that your family eats healthy food?

Extremely unimportant Somewhat unimportant Neutral Somewhat important Extremely important

12. In your opinion, how much of a difference would the Fresh Bucks program make to your ability to eat

healthy?

It helps a lot It helps a little bit It doesn’t really help that much

13. What do you think would be the best way to spread information about the Fresh Bucks program? (Circle one)

Ads in the newspaper Getting something in

the mail

Postcards Billboards Facebook

Twitter Email Text Messages Social service agents Ads inside WTA bus

(not the big signs on the

side of busses)

Optional:

14. Do you have children?

□ Yes (if yes what ages _____________________?)

□ No

15. Which neighborhood do you live in?

Alabama Hill Barkley Birchwood City Center Columbia

Cordata Cornwall Park Edgemoor Fairhaven Happy Valley

Irongate King Mountain Lettered Streets Meridian Puget

Roosevelt Samish Sehome Silver Beach South

South Hill Sunnyland WWU Whatcom Falls York Other (please specify)

16. What is your race?

American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

White Mixed Other (please specify) Prefer not to answer

17. What is your sex?

□ Male

□ Female

□ Intersex

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 12

Formative Research: Focus Group Guide

Fresh Bucks & Farmers Market Focus Group | Moderator’s Guide Adrienne D’Alo, Chelsea Hultz, Simone Mack, Tori Sanchez HLED 410 | Spring 2015 Purpose | This moderator guide is designed to gather qualitative information about the thoughts and opinions families using the SNAP program have about Fresh Bucks and the Farmers Market. Time | 60-90 minutes Set Up | Before each focus group

Location: (TBD) Day & time: (TBD) Set up tables/chair in room so it forms a large circle Recording devices with chargers and/or spare batteries on table Consent forms printed with pens/pencils Nametags General rules/responsibilities written on a white board Any incentives we can offer also there

Introduction | 0:00 - 0:05 minutes

Turn on recording devices Welcome, and thank you for coming to our focus group. We greatly appreciate the time

you are taking out of your schedules to participate in this. My name is _____, and this is _____; we will be moderating the focus group today. _____ and _____ are also here, taking notes on the discussion.

Today we are going to be discussing benefits and barriers about the Bellingham Farmers Market and the Fresh Bucks program. You were selected to participate in this focus group as a member of a family using the SNAP program. The results from this focus group as well as surveys we are collecting in various places around Bellingham will play a huge role in helping us develop a social marketing campaign for SNAP users. The session will be completed within the hour.

This session will be recorded with this recording device. Everything you share will remain completely confidential. We highly value your honest opinions and stories; this is a safe space where respect is extremely important. Please help maintain confidentiality by not sharing stories or opinions of what you hear today, outside of this room. Please respect one another as you share. Please keep your phones silenced and out of sight, and if you need to take a call, feel free to quietly step outside and come back to the group when you are finished.

We are now going to pass out a confidentiality agreement and consent form. Please read through it and sign your name if you agree to participate.

Before we begin, we would like to touch on a few other general rules to keep in mind during this focus group. Talk one at a time and do not interrupt others. Be respectful of other peoples’ opinions, even if you do not agree with them. Avoid making side

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 13

conversations with your neighbors. Be honest with your responses, and be an active participant.

Are there any additional rules anyone would like to suggest for this list? Does anyone have questions before we begin?

Ice-breaker | 0:05 - 0:10 minutes

We are going to start with a quick activity. Going around the circle, please say your first name and what your favorite food is and why. I’ll go first. I’m ______ and my favorite food is _____ because _____. (Circle continues on.)

Great! Thanks for sharing. We will now move on to our main discussion questions. Again, please remember to share honestly and be respectful of everyone here today.

Core Discussion Questions | 0:10 - 0:85 minutes (depends on size of group & chattiness)

1. Have you ever been to the Farmers Market, and what was your experience there? a. Probe about experience → What is the atmosphere like? Do you bring your

family? Do your kids enjoy going? What about the people you might see there? b. How often do you go to the Farmers Market? c. What do you buy at the Farmers Market? d. How does the Farmers Market compare to other places you shop for food, such

as Fred Meyer, the Co-Op, or Haggen? 2. What might be some good things about the Farmers Market? Benefits about going

there? What does a positive experience at the Farmers Market look like? 3. Probe → What might play a role in someone going there regularly?

a. Is it friends? Family? Just the food? 4. What about some things that might not be so good about the Farmers Market?

a. Probe → What might play a role in someone not wanting to go to the Market? i. The environment of it? Location? Accessibility? Timing?

5. Tell us about your means of transportation to the Farmers Market. a. Is this an accessible way for you to travel? b. What would help you or others to get to the Market easily?

6. Do you know about the Fresh Bucks program? How did you find out about it? a. If no → Fresh Bucks is a program that allows users of the SNAP program to

double their money up to $10 when they go to the Farmers Market. This extra $10 can be used towards fresh fruits and vegetables there. For those of you who are not familiar with the program, still feel free to share any thoughts you may have moving forward with the discussion.

7. What has your experience with the Fresh Bucks program been like? a. What might be some positives of the program? b. What about some areas of improvement the program can make? c. What do you see as the benefits to this program? d. What about things that may act as barriers or limitations for people using the

program? i. Probe → Location? Weather? Time of day? Time of year? Transporation?

Foods offered there? What to cook? How to cook certain foods?

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 14

e. Are there other incentives that might make you or someone else more likely to use the program?

f. When you think about going grocery shopping, what factors are most important to you?

8. Consider past Fresh Bucks materials you may have seen, or materials you will see from this current campaign. Who do you want to be giving you that message?

a. Probe the health department? The Opportunity Council? DSHS? Conclusion | 0:85 - 0:90 minutes

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. We are reaching the end of our time together, does anyone have anything else they would like to share or ask?

Again, thank you. Your time and responses are so greatly appreciated by us and are extremely valuable to our study. Have a great rest of your day/night.

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 15

02468

10121416

What do you like about the Farmers Market?

0

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6

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10

12

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Extremelydifficult

Somewhatdifficult

Somewhateasy

Extremelyeasy

How easy or difficult is it to get to the Farmers Market?

02468

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What do you think would be the best way to spread information about the

Fresh Bucks program?

Data Analysis Hard copy survey data.

0

2

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12

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Never Once amonth

Once aweek

Mostmeals

Everymeal

How often do you eat healthy food?

0

1

2

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4

5

6

7

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Never Rarely Sometimes Frequently Always

How often do you use your SNAP benefits at the Farmers Market?

012345678

Never Once ayear

Fewtimes a

year

Once amonth

Twice amonth

Weekly

How often do you attend the Farmers Market?

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 16

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Do you use SNAP benefits at the Farmers Market?

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What do you dislike about the Farmers Market?

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Drivemy car

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If you were to go to the Farmers Market, how would you get there?

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When you think about going grocery shopping, what factors are most

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What influences you to use your SNAP benefits at locations besides the

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 17

Under 2412%

25-2923%

30-3524%

36-690%

Over 4041%

How old are you?

Yes27%

No73%

Do you have any children?

Female47%

Male47%

Intersex6%

What is your sex?American Indian/Al

askan Native13%

Asian0%

Black/African

American0%

Native Hawaiian/

Pacific Islander

0%

White75%

Mixed6%

Other6%

What is your race?

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 18

How did you hear about the Fresh Bucks Program

Organizations (DSHS, OpportunityCouncil, Head Start, etc.)

Friend or family

Social Media (Facebook, etc.)

Ads on the bus

I haven't heard of it before today

Other

Online survey data.

Do you use your SNAP benefits at the Farmers Market?

Yes

No (skip toquestion 5)

How often do you attend the Bellingham Farmers Market?

Never

Once a year

A few times a year

Once a month

Twice a month

Every week

How easy is it for you to get to the Farmers Market?

Extremely difficult

Somewhat difficult

Somewhat easy

Very easy

If you answered yes to question #2, how often do you use your SNAP benefits when you go

to the Farmers Market?Rarely (once a summer)

Sometimes (once amonth)

Frequently (most weeks)

Always (every week)

If you were to go to the Farmers Market, how would you get there?

Drive my car

Catch a ride fromsomeone elseTake the bus

Walk

Ride my bike

I don't have a way

How family friendly do you think the Farmers Market is?

Extremely non-familyfriendly

Somewhat non-familyfriendly

Somewhat familyfriendly

Extremely family friendly

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 19

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How often do you feel like you eat healthy food?

Never

About once a month

About once a week

Most meals on most days

Every meal on most days

What influences you to use your SNAP benefits at locations besides the Farmers Market? (i.e. Fred Meyer, Haggen, Trader

Joe's, etc.)

Cheaper

Better location

Hours are more accessible forme

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How important is it to you that your family eats healthy food?

Extremely unimportant

Somewhat unimportant

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Somewhat important

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In your opinion, how much of a difference would the Fresh Bucks program make to

your ability to eat healthy?

It helps a lot

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FRESH BUCKS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN 20

Do you have children?

No

Yes (if yes, whatages?)

What is your race?

American Indian orAlaska NativeAsian

Black or AfricanAmericanNative Hawaiian orPacific IslanderWhite

Mixed

Prefer not to answer

Other

What is your sex?

Male

Female

Intersex

Which neighborhood do you live in?

Alabama HillBarkleyBirchwoodCity CenterColumbiaCordataCornwall ParkEdgemoorFairhavenHappy ValleyIrongateKing MountainLettered StreetsMeridianPugetRooseveltSamishSehomeSilver BeachSouthSouth HillSunnylandWWUWhatcom Falls

0.0%5.0%

10.0%15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%40.0%45.0%

What are the best ways to spread information about Fresh Bucks?

What do you think would be the best way to spread information about the Fresh

Bucks program?

Ads in the newspaper

Getting something in the mail

Postcards

Billboards

Facebook

Twitter

Email

Text messages

Social service agents

Ads inside WTA bus (not thebig signs on the side of buses)

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Summary of Messages & Materials

Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to develop this campaign.

Quantitative research indicated the campaign should focus on branding the Fresh Bucks name; when asked about the program, a majority of people did not know what Fresh Bucks was. Upon further explanation that Fresh Bucks was the EBT match program currently available at the Farmers Market, participants were aware of what the program was. This indicated there was a need to get more information out regarding the Fresh Bucks program. This influenced a larger visual emphasis on the Fresh Bucks logo on materials developed and the use of “EBT match”. Most users indicated that eating healthy foods is important to them, they enjoy the atmosphere and environment of the Farmers Market, think the Fresh Bucks program is important and helpful. However users indicated that they still struggle with having enough money to purchase all the produce they want, and are still uncertain of what they can make or cook with produce. While there were two different surveys for each of the audience segments, the responses among the two groups were similar. Therefore, audience segments were combined into one.

Our qualitative focus group and pre-test group heavily guided the development of the message and presentation. Both existing Fresh Bucks materials and new materials were pretested among the target population. Focus groups indicated:

Use of bright colors was most pleasing, especially orange, yellow, and blue. Pictures of people using their EBT and/or Fresh Bucks on materials would be more

relatable to SNAP users. Information about where the program could be used, what time the program could be

used, and how to get there would be helpful. Maps of the Farmers Market on materials needed to be extremely clear in order for

participants to understand where the Fresh Bucks tokens could be purchased. Social service agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, was the most

preferred way to receive information regarding Fresh Bucks. Recipe cards to show how to use and/or cook vegetables would make participants want

to purchase Fresh Bucks eligible foods more. Make it clearer about which booths at the Farmers Market accepted Fresh Bucks tokens.

When existing materials were shown to focus group members, participants indicated they liked the colors and pictures used. The focus groups suggested creating recipe cards that provide a recipe for using the new fresh produce and information on the program that could be handed out. Additionally, participants said that any use of the words ‘free’ and/or ‘extra’ would grab attention to materials created for the Fresh Bucks program. After modifying and adding to existing Fresh Bucks materials, materials were again tested among a focus group. This second focus group indicated that the target audience enjoyed the material colors that were used for the campaign: red, orange, yellow, and blue. All of these suggestions were integrated into the material development process along with the previous findings.

The channels were influenced by feedback from both the qualitative and quantitative research methods. The concept of postcards was heavily supported by both groups, along with the use of social media, bus ads and posters in agencies. The focus group supported the idea of

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using community boards in Bellingham area and having posters in local agencies. Feedback indicated that recipe cards should be handed out at the Fresh Bucks booths and at agencies such as Opportunity Council, DSHS and WIC offices.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints materials that were tested during the first round of pretesting were originally created during the first year of the campaign. Messages and materials found in this section reflect revisions made to those materials.

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Developed and Tested Messages Co-Op taglines.

Eating healthy on an EBT budget is easier at the Co-Op w/ Fresh Bucks, the EBT

match program

Healthy eating is more affordable with one swipe of your EBT card: Introducing

Fresh Bucks, an EBT match program available at the Co-Op

Bring your EBT card to the Co-Op and get matched up to ten dollars every time you

shop!

Match your EBT dollars at the Co-Op with every single purchase you make!

Buying fresh produce on a budget has never been easier: Use Fresh Bucks, the EBT

match program available at the Co-Op

Swipe your EBT card at the Co-Op for a $10 match using Fresh Bucks

Farmers Market taglines.

Earn up to $10 FREE every time you go to the Farmers Market with your EBT card

Each time you shop at the Farmers Market with your EBT card, get matched up to

$10

Get extra money for eating local! Swipe your EBT card at the Farmers Market to get

up to ten extra dollars every time you shop

You get benefits for eating local, too! Get matched up to $10 every time you use

your EBT card at the Farmers Market

Seeing double? It’s just how much more you can afford when you use your EBT card

at the Farmers Market - up to $10 free!

Healthy. Local. Affordable. Fresh. Fresh Bucks.

Making healthy eating affordable on a budget. Fresh Bucks.

Want $40 extra dollars for groceries each month? Swipe your EBT at the

Both Co-Op and Farmers Market taglines.

Match up to $10 of your EBT dollars every time you shop at the Farmers Market and

the Co-Op

Fresh Bucks: Affordable, healthy eating

Fresh Bucks: Making eating healthier, even easier!

Swipe your EBT card for even more rewards! Get up to $10 matched at the Farmers

Market and Co-Op every time you shop!

Fresh Bucks: Bringing you healthy, fresh food with one swipe of your EBT card

Get more with your EBT: Swipe your EBT card at the Farmers Market and Co-Op to

get up to ten extra dollars each time you shop

Eating healthy doesn’t have to break the bank - get up to $10 free when you use

your EBT card at the Farmers Market and Co-Op

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Developed and Tested Materials Bus ad.

Sticker.

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Postcard.

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Where can I use my Fresh Bucks?

• Bellingham Farmers Market

• Fairhaven Farmers Market

• Bellingham Community Co-Op

Recipe Card.

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Posters.

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Promotional Campaign Materials Press Release Whatcom County Health Department 1500 N. State Street Bellingham WA, 98225 (360) 676-6762

Whatcom County Health Department Announces Second Year of Fresh Bucks Program Available to SNAP Users at the Bellingham Farmers Market

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bellingham, Washington - The Whatcom County Health Department is excited to announce the second year of the Fresh Bucks program. Fresh Bucks is an incentive program available to shoppers who are using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the Bellingham Farmers Market. The program will match up to ten SNAP dollars that are spent at the Farmers Market to be used on fresh fruits and vegetables. The program was available to SNAP users at the start of the 2015 Farmers Market season and will continue until the market season ends in October. The Health Department believes Fresh Bucks will give SNAP users additional assistance to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables they eat each week. With an extra ten dollars in a shopper's budget each week, they do not have to pass on perishable food items like fruits and vegetables that are often considered nonessential on the grocery list due to high monetary costs. Fresh Bucks also provides an opportunity for SNAP users to shop at and support the Farmers Market, which benefits not only the shopper, but the community as a whole. A soft launch of the program began during the 2014 Farmers Market season and was well received by SNAP users. As the 2015 season continues on, Fresh Bucks informational posters can be viewed in WTA buses, Bellingham Social Service Agencies such as DSHS and the Opportunity Council, and on community boards around Bellingham. In the first year of Fresh Bucks implementation, 80% of program users said the program had a positive impact on their diet. In addition, by using SNAP benefits at the Farmers Market, about $45,000 was raised to boost the local economy and help local farmers. “All I can say is I just love it. My health has improved greatly since I can afford more quality food and supporting local and [eating] fresh makes me feel good,” says a Fresh Bucks shopper. Visit www.wafarmersmarkets.com for more information regarding Fresh Bucks.

# # #

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Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

PSA one. Informational/Informative Length: 30 seconds Fresh Bucks is a great way to increase the amount of fresh fruits and veggies in SNAP users’ diets. Fresh Bucks is an EBT match program available to SNAP users at the downtown Bellingham Farmers Market. Fresh Bucks will match up to ten EBT dollars spent at the Farmers Market, which gives its users the ability to save money, while spending more on healthy, local foods that support the community. “All I can say is I just love it. My health has improved greatly since I can afford more quality food and supporting local and fresh makes me feel good.” To find out more visit WAfarmersmarket.com.

PSA two. Creative Length: 30 seconds Person 1: Hey let’s head over to the Farmers Market! Person 2: I’m sorry I can’t, I have to buy my groceries at a regular grocery store, I use EBT Person 1: Well me too! Haven’t you heard about the Fresh Bucks program? Person 2: No, what’s that? Person 1: Fresh Bucks is an EBT matching program at the Farmers Market! All you do is go to the info booth at the Saturday market with your EBT card. You can pay any amount of money you want, and they will match you up to $10 in wooden tokens! Then you can buy SNAP eligible items, AND fruits and veggies with your tokens! Person 2: So you’re saying I can get up to forty extra dollars each month by using my EBT dollars to get fresh, healthy, and local foods? Person 1: Yep! Person 2: Awesome! Let’s go! Final Campaign Materials Final campaign materials will be created by the Whatcom County Health Department. Materials created for this campaign were drafts for the final revised campaign.

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Presentation

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Other Relevant Materials Goals and Objectives These objectives were made using the impact data gathered from 2014 Fresh Bucks Social Marketing Campaign (SMC) as a baseline for this 2015 Fresh Bucks SMC. Following are the goals and objectives made for the Fresh Bucks SMC.

Program goal. Encourage families and individuals to purchase and use fresh fruits and vegetables from the Farmer’s Market, while using Fresh Bucks program.

Program Objectives. Behavior.

o Increase the number of first time Fresh Bucks users to be greater than 218 people

o Increase the number of individuals that use Fresh Bucks to be more than 661 people

o Increase the number of individuals that use Fresh Bucks to be more than 49 people per week

o Increase the number of individuals that use Fresh Bucks more than once to be more than 25% of total participants

o Increase the number of individuals that use Fresh Bucks more than 4 times to be more than 6% of total participants

o Greater than 575 people who have used Fresh Bucks will report an increase in vegetable purchase

o Greater than 522 people who have used Fresh Bucks will report an Increase in fruit purchase

o Increase the number of families with children that use Fresh Bucks greater than 36% of total participants

Knowledge. o Increase the number of people who know that EBT can be used at the Farmer’s

Market to be greater than 37% of all participants o Greater than 33% of SNAP users in the Bellingham area will understand how

Fresh Bucks works Belief.

o Greater than 25% of Fresh Bucks users will report that healthy eating is important

o Greater than 25% of Fresh Bucks users will report that healthy eating is affordable

o Greater than 25% of Fresh Bucks users will report that healthy eating is easy to do

o Greater than 25% of Fresh Bucks users will report that the Farmer’s Market is a good place to go

Additional objectives. o Greater than $9,847 of Fresh Bucks match will be spent o Increase the amount of SNAP and Fresh Bucks money that goes to local farmers

to be greater than $24,877

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Appendix Logic Model Social Marketing Campaign: Fresh Bucks at the Whatcom County Health Department Situation: SNAP users in Bellingham, WA can now purchase more fresh produce at the Farmers Market and Community Food Co-op with help of the Fresh Bucks program

Inputs Outputs Results Activities Participation Outcomes Impact Return on Investment

Community Health students, volunteer time Whatcom County Department of Health staff time Time from partners (Dorothy Place, DSHS, OC, Co-Op, Market) Graphic designers FINI grant money ($100,000) Space from community organizations and collaborators Existing Fresh Bucks campaign materials, research, program development Communication channels (WTA busses, community boards, local agencies, etc.)

Conduct formative research Create surveys and focus group guide Contact community members from collaborating agencies Develop campaign messages and materials (bus ads, posters, postcards, sticker/magnet, recipe card) Conduct outreach to get survey responses Conduct evaluation at end of program implementation Monitoring Fresh Bucks use at the Farmers Market and Community Co-op Design final products (materials with messages)

Fresh Bucks users Community members Whatcom County Department of Health

Increase in family Fresh Bucks use Increase one time users use of Fresh Bucks Increase in Fresh Bucks general use Increase in fresh food purchase from Fresh Bucks users

Increase in fresh food consumption in SNAP families and children Increase in fresh food consumption in individuals on SNAP Increase in health status of SNAP users that use Fresh Bucks Increase quality of life for SNAP user that use Fresh Bucks

$44,500 of SNAP and Fresh Bucks impact on the local economy $1 of SNAP money equals $1.79 into the local economy

Assumptions

External Factors 1. SNAP users want to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the Farmers

Market and the Community Food Co-op 2. Eating healthy foods is important to SNAP users 3. Supporting local farmers by eating local foods is important to SNAP users

4. Social service agencies want to encourage SNAP users to access the program

1. The amount of money SNAP users have to spend each month

2. Transportation available to SNAP users to go to the Market and/or Co-op

3. Availability of tokens to hand out at the Farmers Market

4. Amount of money provided from grant funding each year

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Focus Groups Transcriptions Focus group one. Focus Group: 5/13/15, Dorothy Place, 3:30-4:30pm A: Adrienne C: Chelsea P: Participant A: I’ll just start by handing out consent forms, um, just go ahead and read it and sign it and if you want a copy for yourself, we have more so we can give you one to use… P: So I tried to use, I tried to go down to the Farmers Market [FM] last year to use Food Stamps to get the Fresh Bucks I needed or whatever, and they didn’t have any coins there, they were fresh out of ‘em… C: Yeah. Yeah, part of that happening… P: Yeah, it happened all year last year, I could never get them and could never use them…so it’s not working, whatever they’re doing, the program….it’s not working very well [background noise…baby is crawling around and everyone adores her] A: Alright, so we’ll get started, so welcome and thank you for coming, we really appreciate the time you’re putting in, um, out of your schedules to help with out project. So my name is Adrienne, this is Chelsea, just in case you forgot, so, I’ll mainly be the one moderating and asking questions and Chelsea is gonna be taking some notes. So we’re going to be discussing the benefits and barriers about the Bellingham FM and the FB program. So you were selected or asked to participate because of your usage of the SNAP program or EBT, Food Stamps, however you know it. The results from this focus group as well as other surveys we’ve been doing will play a huge role in developing materials and messages to increase awareness about the program. So, right there we have a recording device that’s going to record everything but everything will remain completely confidential. Everyone outside of this group won’t hear what’s on it, besides our two other group members because they have to help us, obviously. But to help us maintain confidentiality, we are trying to do the what is said in this room stays in this room, thing, so try not to say what other people say outside of this room. So, we should just you know respect one another, keep your phone silent, if you have to take a call that’s totally fine you can step outside, that’s not a big deal. So before we begin there’s a few other general rules we just wanna touch on. So try to make sure to talk one at a time and not interrupt, mainly so that when we go through take everything from the recording device and put it into a document we can hear everything. Um, and then try not to make side conversations and just be honest and an active participant because that will just help the result be even better. Does anyone have any other rules they wanna share, any questions off the bat…before we get started? P: I just want to apologize now because I’m a talker…[laughter]…I will be very aware. A: Sounds good! So, just to get everyone maybe a little more comfortable we’re just gonna do a really quick activity…if we could just go around the room and have everybody say their first name and their favorite foods since we’re talking about food today…thought that would be fitting! Um so ill go first, I’m Adrienne and my favorite food is lasagna. C: Oh, I’m Chelsea, and my favorite food….is…..burritos…. P: I’m Stella and…I don’t really have a favorite food. [laughs] I like all food! A: Okay! Fair enough P: I’m Sherri and I like…pizza? P: I’m [can’t hear] and I like pizza P: I’m Johanna and I like Chinese food P: I’m [can’t hear] and I like…Mexican food [can’t hear, tons of background noise] P: I’m Lindsey and I like…[can’t hear] P: I’m Jennifer and I also love Mexican food P: I’m Nicole and I…. [baby screams, covers all voices] [laughter] P: I’m Toshina and I like lasagna too P: I’m Amy and I like Mexican food too

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A: Wow, we have a lot of Mexican food lovers in here!! Maybe the gift cards should have been, for like, burritos or something [laughter] A: Okay, so thank you for sharing, we’re just gonna move into core questions. This is, I mean, this chunk of it is mainly the whole session, um, so we should be wrapped up within the hour. I don’t see a clock in here so if we’re close to the 4:30 and you’re like, okay we gotta go, just say something and we can wrap it up. If we’re not done by then… P: It’s 3:41 A: Thank you! Okay, so, um, you can just kind of speak up whenever, if the question applies to you, you can share, if it doesn’t apply to you, that’s totally fine, we’ll just play it by ear. So the first question is have you ever been to the FM and what was your experience like when you went? P: All at once? P: Yes, I’ve been there, like I Was saying earlier, my experience was, like, they didn’t have the coins from the thing, so I never ever was able to do it. Every time I’ve been there. I’ve been there like 10 times all last year, all last year, and then, um, so I was never able to do any of that. A: Okay, okay. So, the coins, for those who don’t know, um when you go to the FM and you bring your EBT card they can match your money up to $10 and they give you tokens you can use at the booth, so, they like, look like big, kind of cardboard coins that they have. So if they’re out of coins, they can’t give any more out P: Actually up to $10 then they double it is how it works A: Yeah, right P: But you can spend as much as you want which is a bad thing cause I’ve spend like $50 on cheese….so yeah… A: Yeah! [Laughter] P: But yeah like this last weekend, you don’t get there like, first thing, you don’t get any coins. You have to get there within the first hour. A: Okay, so, have you all have issues getting coins but were too late? P: Yeah, you have to be there like in the gate P: I did, I did get there early and they still didn’t have ‘em. They just never have them P: I have never had that problem, and that was later in the afternoon, but I think it’s like, the booth where they do it is like, in the corner so unless you know it’s there and know what to look for, you’re not gonna find it A: Yeah, it’s kind of hidden, weird, like in a nook C: Did you have something to mention? P: Yes, last year I went, and it was….I went and they and they gave me the coins. It was nice. A: Okay, good! That’s good. Has anyone been to the FM and maybe not used the FB program because maybe you didn’t know about it? But experiences about the Market in general? P: I’ll have to be honest, I haven’t been A: That’s okay! That’s totally fine. Good to know. Um…so, for those of you who have been, what is the atmosphere like? If you have kids, do you like to bring them? Um, like how family friendly do you think it is? Do your kids enjoy going, can you touch on that a bit? P: I think it’s family friendly but I think it’s expensive P: Yeah, same here P: Then your kids want face paint, and henna… P: But you can get the balloons for free!! [laughter] P: The balloons where the guy goes and wraps them around and stuff…love it A: Okay, cool, um… P: But it is expensive P: Very expensive! A: Yeah, we’ve been hearing that a lot, actually. So what do you usually buy at the market? P: Face paint and henna tattoos! The things that kids want! [laughter] A: Yeah! And then you said cheese earlier, right? P: And vegetables….. P: They have cheese there??

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P: They have meat, they have honey, salmon, really good like steaks…everything P: Really good bread…. A: So how does the FM compare to other places you shop? And this, maybe, like if you haven’t been to the Market, is there a reason you’ve chosen not to go or something along those lines? P: Mainly because it’s expensive…and because now I can’t get the tokens A: Yeah P: We still go to take the kids down, have fun…. P: I think it’s fun A: Cool, okay, so, what, and also, if you haven’t been, um, just so that we can get your opinion too, if you have any ideas of like hypothetical things…for the next questions you can totally share, just so we can get more ideas and opinions P: I haven’t been because I thought it was just vegetables! I wasn’t aware of what they offer so now I will definitely check it out A: Oh, yeah! Huge selection P: I like broccoli, chicken… A: Yeah you can get all that stuff! P: I haven’t been in years….I don’t even know where it is P: I like to go because the food is really fresh and that’s really nice A: Yeah! And it’s all local which is a big incentive for a lot of people… P: Also the things….[can’t hear] A: ….so, what might be some good things about the Market? Or benefits about going there? And now that you have maybe learned some things you can guess about what some positives might be? P: I think a positive is that it’s walking distance P: Well, depends on how far you wanna walk! A: What else…Anything else you want to share? Anything else that might be good about the Market? P: Well, if you can get the coins, then it makes things affordable, somewhat…it’s still expensive even if you get, you know, double your money. Even if you have $20, it’s still expensive P: It’s a good thing P: If you need something real quick and you need to run to the food Co-op real quick, it’s more expensive anyways A: And, yeah, this program, this year I think, is transitioning so you can do something similar at the Coop. So they’re trying to make everything, like more accessible in that way, so hopefully that would decrease how much of your own money you have to spend. Um, so, what might play a role in somebody going to the Market regularly? What do you think? P: If it’s cheaper A: If the foods cheaper P: Yeah, like trying to eat healthier A: Okay, yeah, so like healthy food options P: They do have a pastry booth there that has really good pies P: Oh yeah! P: I think they have chocolate berry pies! A: Yum!! So what are some things that might not be so good about going to the Market? So you kind of touched on this before, like how the prices are kind of high P: I think how they organize it, like if they have things that make sense? A: Okay, like how? Do you mean like how they have things set up? P: Yeah, like the first thing you should see is the booth. At the entrance. And then, they have like, uh, maps with what stalls are where, because there’s so many people it’s just…it’s just chaos A: yeah, it’s a lot P: And then, I’m not sure, maybe….I mean other than organization I don’t really see an issue with it A: Okay! P: Maybe like showing which ones do take the coins.. A: Oh yeah! Almost having a little sticker on it? P: Yeah, because it’s like, kind of, you know, a little bit embarrassing to be like, you know, hey I’m on food stamps A: Yeah..

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P: …and have to ask someone.. P: It’s not embarrassing! When you have to get help you need to get help P: I know, you just don’t want to announce.. P: Yeah, it’s true P: I know. It happens though C: I think that’s a good idea. Just so, besides the fact that it could be potentially embarrassing, besides that, just so you know which ones you go to so you don’t waste your time P: And then some of the booths didn’t have any idea about the coins…like I was like do you take these and they were like what are those?! A: Okay, so maybe just some more communication… P: And, they’re really big, and if you get 20 of them, you’ve got a handful of coins A: Do they give it to you, like in a Ziploc bag or something? P: No.. A: Okay, cause I saw some people who had them in a bag but I Was wondering if they brought that or gave it P: So I have it just roaming in my purse for a summer…[laughs] A: Oh no! Umm, okay, so, tell us about your means of transportation to the Market? So you were saying it’s within walking distance, so do you think that all of you would walk to the market if you were to go? Because you’re all pretty close to it? [head nods] A: Do you think that is an accessible way? P: Maybe if we had a wagon! A: For the kids? P: For bringing stuff back A: Oh, yeah! Okay so the ease of bringing things back with you if you were to get a lot of food? Okay, what would help you or others get back from the market more easily? A wagon, or something to bring things back in? P: Parking is, I mean if you’re, I mean if you’re here you might as well drive because you’re gonna have to park, you know, an equal distance anyways cause there’s not much parking downtown A: Yeah, it’s pretty terrible. Okay. So, if you do or if you already did know about the FB program prior to this, how did you find out about it? P: I just found out P: They came here last year P: Yeah they came here and talked to us A: Okay, people from the market came and talked to you? P: Yeah P: Yeah…otherwise, yeah, never heard of it P: I don’t think I would have ever heard of it if they hadn’t come here P: I learned about it through WIC A: Okay, cool. We’ve, I’ve…I was talking to someone earlier who says WIC does a good job pushing it P: Yeah A: Awesome. So, we’ve kind of talked about this one so I don’t know how much deeper we need to go into it…but experience with the FB program? I know you’ve had some issues with tokens, you’ve had a positive experience…um, does, can anyone else think of other positives to the program, even if you just learned about it, like some things that are good? P: I know my daughter-in-law has, um, had good and bad experience with the token things, so I’m always telling her, well why don’t you text me when they’ve got em so I can go get them. But it’s always a day I don’t go. She’s had good…there’s days that they don’t have them and days that they do. And they say, you know, by the end of the year, because I didn’t know about it until the end part of it, and they didn’t have any of those tokens, so…I don’t know how, you know, everyone else was able to get them cause every time I went they said oh no we don’t have them, we don’t have them, we don’t have any P: How do the tokens work? P: I mean how many do they actually have? If they’re giving them out and they’re not getting them back right away then why don’t they make more to make sure they’re giving them out so people can bring them back

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A: Yeah, so um, we haven’t been told like a whole lot about the background behind how the tokens work but our understanding is that they have the tokens that they had out to everybody when they come to swipe their EBT card and then when they get the tokens to the stand, the stand needs to return the tokens back to the FM booth or somehow get it back to them. So, it, you know, might be something where the booth is… P: But if they’re not spending the money they have, and they decide hey, I’m gonna come back another day, then they’re not getting that you know circulation going, so that’s what I’m saying is, why aren’t they making extras to make sure that if it’s not circulating right away at least later on down the road there’s still tokens to give out to people that didn’t ever get em, you know, you know what I’m saying A: Yeah, yeah, or having some other way like a, you know, like a paper ticket to use and maybe not the tokens, yeah P: Is there a certain amount that one person can get? A: so you can get up to $10 each time you go, so they would be giving you 10 tokens, cause I think it’s a dollar per token so they would give you ten, but there’s no limit how often. Like, you can go once per, like, market, but you can go every week, so there’s not limit on that P: Okay, so if you spend $10, if you give them $10 of your Food Stamps they need to give you $20 C: What did you mention? P: They let me get $40 at once. A: Really? P: After the first $10, you gotta do that, that’s important, otherwise you don’t get your double, and they let me come back and do 40 A: Wow C: Hmm…interesting P: Well, yeah, they broke the rules! [laughter] P: Yeah…I dunno! A: Okay, well that is good to know…so, what do you, oh, sorry go for it P: What days are they on? A: Saturdays from 10 to 3. And I believe, that’s just the one downtown, but this also works at the Fairhaven Market, but I don’t know, I don’t know those hours for that one off the top of my head C: This ones closer though A: So, what are some areas of improvement that the program can make? Besides making sure that they have tokens…Do you think that it could be something about how much money they’re providing? Or, um, maybe, like the food options or what you can use cause you can only use the tokens on fruits and veggies, so is there anything else you can think of? P: You can use, they, you can use them on anything, like any cold food any food that’s not heated up A/C: They changed it P: Oh, they did?! A: yeah, they narrowed it down P: No more pastries?! A:I know, I know! P: When did that change? Cause I went there last Saturday and I bought pastries and stuff. C: Well, with the tokens….hm…well it was supposed to be changing, apparently some of the changes haven’t been strictly enforced P: Yeah, I’m not gonna go if they change it! That’s what I’m saying, you know! [laughter] P: So they won’t let me buy my honey either then? A: Yeah, right C: Right P: So, yeah, I’m not going A: Yeah, we know, or what we were taught about it is that it used to be like, fruits, vegetables, vegetable starts, meats, basically anything, but now it’s just fruits, vegetables, and I think vegetable starts, but they said they are eliminating everything else P: So they’re encouraging healthy eating

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P: So not even bread? C: Not even bread…and so you can, it’s just with the tokens themselves is what, with that $10 of tokens, you can only buy the fruits and vegetables, but with the other matched, like the $10 you paid to get the tokens, you can still purchase whatever you choose P: So are they different? P: This doesn’t make sense C: Um, are the tokens different? P: Yeah, cause last year they were all the $10 that you bought and the $10 that you got, they were all the same token C: Huh. P: Cause you’re paying $10 in food stamps so you should be able to still buy what you want with that $10 but you guys are giving them $20 in coins is what I’m seeing, right, and so why would that be, that doesn’t make sense A: Yeah….it should, it should be the way you guys are explaining it P: Well there’s rules about the foods you can buy, like you can’t go to the deli in the grocery store, you can buy cold deli food but you can’t buy deli food A: Yeah, that’s interesting, um, yeah that is….not what we learned so it’s just interesting to hear and I mean, we could, we could be wrong P: I think it’s a good thing they encourage healthy eating, and they don’t want you to buy pastries and ice cream and whatever, on the tokens. I really do, cause that’s the whole thing, low-income people tend, have to buy cheaper food. And, so if we can get our fruits and vegetables for free, basically, we should. Because we really need it. A. Right P: And you know, I’m just saying A: They’re just really really pushing health P: Because you know when I’m at the grocery store, I go to the goodies. I go to the cheaper…I don’t go to the vegetables. I go for the cheaper stuff, so if I could be encouraged not to do that, that would be good P: Yeah, you’re absolutely right. Because if you’re on a strict budget you’re shopping on the inside of the store where everything is packaged and processed and that’s the cheapest stuff, and so, if you can shop they tell you to shop around on the outside of the store but that’s where the dairies, the meats, the fruits, the vegetables are, and that’s more expensive so this is kind of, uh, to help counter that P: And it’s free, basically, you’re getting your fruits and vegetables for free. I love broccoli, and all that stuff…which is….but yeah, you need some dip, right? [laughter] P: Dip! P: Yup! A: So, another barrier that we’ve heard from other people who have been doing surveys is that if they go to the FM and they get the money that they can only spend on fruits and vegetables, they don’t know what to buy because they don’t know how to eat it or how to cook it, is that something that you also experience? Maybe, like we saw radishes because, they were doing a demo on radishes because a lot of people don’t know how to make them, so, is that something that might, like if you knew how to cook the food or something like that, would that be more incentive to get it maybe? P: Mhmm A: Okay P: Like how do you steam the broccoli and all that stuff, I don’t even know, do you have to have a special steamer, or do you need…? Yeah A: Almost some, some, little recipes or just something little cards that would maybe show you how to make the food P: Yeah, just something easy, easy way to… A: Okay, thank you! So, umm, have any of you seen any other sort of material, like any posters or ads or anything for Fresh Bucks besides WIC or having people come in to? P: No

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A: Okay, so, um, if you were to, and we’re gonna show you the material that year’s group developed, but, if you were to see a message about using Fresh Bucks, who would you want the message to be coming from? Like would you want it to be coming from the health department, would you want it to be coming from here, or WIC? P: Or opportunity council…a lot of people go there P: We had this chef come in, last year, this guy, and um, he like was, did some cooking demonstration I think. Was anybody else here P: Yeah P: I was P: Yeah I was P: I wish they would come back P: Yeah! We had said we wanted him to come back, he was really cute [laugher] P: He was like this young cute boy P: Cute guys coming to show us how to cook, it’s perfect! [laughter] C: Besides the fact that he was cute, what else did you like? P: He had a lot of good information about healthy cooking and stuff! [laughter] C: So, it’s kind of the best of both worlds I guess? P: He was sweet…and shirtless!! P: No! C: That’s dangerous! [laughter] A: Was he from the FM, did he say? P: No, he was like, just, umm, I think he had, I think he was with the Food Bank actually A: Oh, cool, okay! Okay so let me grab my computer. So the three main materials that they developed last year was a postcard that got sent out, um a big poster advertisement, and then on WTA busses on, like if you’re sitting on the bus, those strips of ads that go along the top side, they had something that was in those. So, we’re gonna show you.. P: I don’t really sit there and read those, though… A: Yeah, like some people, I always read them, but some people don’t C: I don’t read them either A: So what we’ll do is show you each of the three. They all kind of have the same theme to them, but if you could just tell us your initial reactions to them…what you think about the message, the graphics, the color, really anything that comes to mind when you first see it or after you’ve been looking at it, um, we will start with the poster! So I’ll just bring it around and show you. P: Yeah, that catches your eye, yeah P: Yeah, get up to $10, that’s really a good catch A: Anything else? What about the scale at the bottom, it says, it has like $1, $2, $4….to kind of show you what your matching amounts would be, is that helpful, or is that more confusing? P: Helpful P: Helpful I think P: It says up to $20, with $30? A: Yeah, this part is kind of confusing because it’s trying to say that if you pay $20 they’ll still only give you $10 to get to $30…so, um, some other questions for you about it…if you wanna see it again just let me know. Um, what did you think about the pictures? I’ll zoom in and show you pictures if you want to see them <recording ends> <recording begins again> A: … a visual of where it is? Does that sound… am I missing anything? P: [muffled voices] A: Okay but then for others, others it would be helpful cause they know the general area of it. C: So it sounds like the fact that it says ‘pavillion’ is kind of confusing. P: Yeah.

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A: Yeah. Okay. P: Yeah like what is it for? C: What would you prefer that it says? P: Well isn’t like, uh, some kind of a, uh pretzel or some kind of bread shop or something? A: It’s close to that. Yeah so um [pause] maybe if it had the name, like the name of the pretzel place or something. P: Yeah! And that way I could like know, okay this is where you go. K there’s that place, you know. A: Mhmm. P: Then that’s where it’s at. A: Another landmark? P: Yeah, so kind of a name A: Yeah, okay. P: Yeah something. I know the Herald’s right there too you know. C: Yeah. A: Yeah. P: So you know, just behind the Herald. [baby cries] A: Sure. P: You know just something like that, you know. A: Sure, yeah. [baby cries] A: Okay so just like… P: Everybody know wh- knows where the Herald is. A: Right. P: I mean it’s like big letters at the top of it so… A: Right [laughs] [laughter] A: Okay so just kind of trying to make it a little bit more detailed, I think. [muffled voices] A: Okay, so the last one is the bus ad. [baby cries] A: So um, I know that, I think a couple of you don’t read the ads at the top, so do you not think that that is a very helpful way of trying to get the word out? P: It is probably to some people, like she said she don’t but you said you do, so you know. A: Yeah it, it depends. P: I read that up on the bus. A: Okay. P: When I’m just sitting there waiting for my ride. [laughter] A: Yeah. P: [can’t hear...] A: Uh huh. P: Yeah when I’m on bus waiting, I’m going okay, you know. A: Yeah. [laughter] P: But I don’t either so I mean I’m not… I’m not the only one that don’t. P: [muffled voices] [laughter] A: So this, again it’s really similar to the other two. It’s the same thing as the front of the postcard. Um, oh, well I should also ask if, like if postcards came here or you got postcards in your mail about the market, would that be a helpful way? P: Mhmm. P: Oh yeah. A: Yeah? Okay. P: Yeah.

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A: That’s good to know. So for the bus ad it looks the same. Um do you think if this, if this was on the bus, would you change it to…? P: When you see EBT dollars, then you could see free something, somebody’s gonna read it. P: Yeah. [laughter] [muffled voices] A: That’s very true! [laughter] P: Free? [laughter] A: Uh huh. P: You ought to be in their marketing department! [laughter] P: Ah, stop. [laughter] A: Um, anything about this that you think… I’ll keep showing it to you… that maybe doesn’t need to be on here when it’s on the bus? Like does it need to be simplified, does it need anything, anything different on it? P: Not that I can see. P: Now what is that, the black strip? I can’t… P: See I don’t think that, I don’t like that strip. A: So it says it’s what you pay and what you get, so it’s trying to show that it doubles your money. P: Okay. A: But some people... P: But it’s black. A: Some people think it’s really confusing and some people think that it’s really helpful. P: I think it’s kind of confusing. A: Okay, do you...? C: What would you like it to say? A: Yeah. P: I think it just… P: I think it says it all right here on the top. A: K. P: I think it says… I think [pause] maybe what makes more sense to me is that, that if you [pause] buy $10, you get $10 free. A: Okay. P: Mhmm. P: Double your EBT dollars. P: Yeah. A: Yeah. P: Up to… P: At the… P: Up to… P: Yeah. P: Up to $10. P: Yeah simple. P: Yeah you want it to be up to $10. P: Yeah. P: Simple. A: Simple? Okay. P: Maybe they might think if you spend $20 you get $20. P: Yeah. P: Yeah. A: Yeah. So doub- just, if it just says double your EBT up to $10? <recording ends> <recording begins>

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A: … it exists... P: I didn’t either. A: Or if they do know, they don’t know what the name of it is, so we’re, we’re trying to get the name out so hopefully it gets a little bit more attention that way, cause it’s such a good, it’s such a good program. P: Get it right out of the gate there. A: Yeah exactly! P: Are there signs like at the market itself? C: Not really. A: Not really and we don’t know if that’s because, I mean you know if they don’t want to advertise it and have it be like use your EBT here and have a line of people there and having people in line feel uncomfortable, um or if it’s just because they’ve never thought of it before. Um… P: But it seems like if they don’t even have enough tokens for people to use that they’re really not promoting it. A: Yeah. P: They really don’t want people to use it. C: Mhmm. P: That’s what it seems like to me. C: Okay. Why do you think it seems like that? P: Well if they run out of tokens and the majority of people have had bad ex… <recording ends> <recording starts> A: The Opportunity Council, sorry, sorry, I’m sorry we’ve been calling it the OC for short and I’m terrible at not using abbreviations. [laugh] P: It’s cool I like that. A: The OC? P: Yeah, A: Yeah, P: The Opportunity Council is such a big… A: Yeah it’s long. Maybe you all can start calling it the OC then it’ll just start. P: Yeah. [inaudible] A: So we were just thinking a brochure that kind of talks about what Fresh Bucks is and how you can just go to the market and get your tokens and then it would have, um, information with maybe like two or three recipes with foods that they sell there. P: Oh that would be a good idea. A: Okay would that- cause some people just don’t like brochures but is that something that you would probably pick up if you saw it? [Multiple ‘yeahs’] P: Yeah or maybe just one card with one little recipe or something or you know something simple? P: Yeah A: Okay, sure. P: And you can move up and move forward as you learn that... P: Well like a rec- a something that has different recipes because a lot of the foods like, there are snap peas are so good oh my god. *agreement* A: Yeah, [laughs] P: They’re like dessert but a vegetable. [*laughs*] A: Okay, would you rather have it in a brochure form or in little like little cards or handouts with one per thing and you could grab a couple? P: Cards. P: Yeah, cards because they’re something simple that you can just slip in your purse.

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A: Okay, are there any places besides the Opportunity Council or here or DSHS that you might pick something like that up? like are there other places you commonly go that might- <recording ends> <recording starts> A: __ Farmers Market, up to ten dollars between April and October, just something really really simple that ppl can see that is one: called fresh bucks and two: at the Farmers Market, and three: up to ten dollars. Would you use stickers? do you think other people would want stickers? P: Well i think kids like to get stickers and then your kid has the sticker and you're obviously going to see it. [Laughs] A: Yeah. P: Yeah but if you don’t have a car you could always just well you could just… A: Are you talking about- P: Are you talking about just ___?____ stickers like that? What kind of stickers? A: Not totally sure um, maybe it may be a little bit bigger depending on how big the font would have to be. You’d have to be able to read it going all the way around the circle but probably I mean at least like that big. P: Like they have those stickers at Trader Joes to give to kids and that food Co-Op has a bunch of stickers __?___ P: Yeah , they could have the stickers at the grocery stores. *inaudible* talking over each other… A: Yeah, okay. P: And magnets for your fridge. C: Hmm, that’s a good idea. P: Yeah, and you could always see that. A: Or even like a car magnet? C: You like the magnet idea? *Baby starts crying* P: Bumper sticker? P: I like what she said. A: yeah,yeah, okay. P: Key chains!! A: Oh, okay. Like the, kind of like the plastic or metal? P: Yeah, just the plastic would be good. P: Plastic would be good for my little girl. A: Okay, sure anything else about those two things? <recording ends> <recording starts> P: Like right in there. A: Yeah they don’t- they really only have stuff for the bus but it might be an interesting place to think about putting a poster. P: Yeah. A: Especially because, do you all ride the bus? P: The bus? P: Or downtown at the bus stop? A: Yeah, do you ride the bus pretty regularly? P: Yeah. P: Well most people who *weird noise* are downtown. P: Yeah, you’re right. P: Just at the bus station? Inside? A: Yeah. C: Yeah, that’s a good idea. P: Even on the little things ______?_________ A: Okay, yeah. I like that idea a lot. So, okay that is really all we have thank so much for sharing everything. I think we got a lot of really good information so that’s great. Is there anything else, any last minute questions, comments??

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[Background noise] P: Sorry guys, i’m trying to focus but it’s really hard. P: Okay, thank you, *muffled*. P: No it’s me, I‘m hearing all sorts of stuff. A: We’re at the end of the time and we don’t have anything else so does anyone have any questions or comments? C: About the Farmers Market or Fresh Bucks or how you would like to see the program improve? P: Yeah just tell those people to step up those tokens! A: All right. C: Sounds good. *laughs* P: Because if you’re going have all that on there then you might as well be able to offer it. P: It’s got to be user friendly. P: I felt that if I was there, and there was no- they were out of tokens I would never go back C: Because of just- A:Yeah- P: I think the thing is yeah the tokens identifying which vendors take coins [baby screaming] C: That’s a good idea. P: Or maybe a little post- or whatever something at the vendors. *all agreeing* P: Or the stickers! *agreement* A: At the vendor?? yeah, like on their little table or something? *agreement* P: Yeah that would be a good thing. A: Okay. <recording ends>

Focus group two.

Focus Group: 5/20/15, Dorothy Place, 5:00-5:30pm S: We are going to start off by introducing the program in case people weren't here last week. A: Ok so we have the recorder right here on this table which seemed like the most central location but we did have some issues hearing from the audio recorder last time so just try to speak up and I know it's hard just try not to have side conversations because that made it really difficult to hear sometimes but it's totally fine no worries. So we gave you an introduction to fresh bucks for those of you who weren't here last week. It’s a program at the farmers market where you can take your EBT card down there and they'll match you up to 10 dollars and they give you tokens to use on fruits and veggies. There were some questions the last , the last time we came about what you can spend your money on and like how many tokens you get matched on things so we got clarification on it because we wanted to make sure that well we had it right and now were the right information. You want to explain that? C:Sure so some of you who have used the program before are trying to get the tokens before, you mentioned that you couldn't use it on meat, bread, cheese stuff like that in addition to the fresh produce um, and then Adrienne and I mentioned that they are trying to make the transition to just having the fresh bucks tokens used on um fruits and vegetables and we were kind of incorrect, they haven't actually implemented that yet so, it’s something they will be moving towards in the next few months. so once that happens what will happen is let’s say you um want to spend ten dollars and you wanted these matched ten dollars what will happen is you will have two different types of tokens so you will have your ten dollars of your ebt dollars that are yours and you can spend on anything you want at the market and then the ten dollars that Fresh Bucks tokens you can only spend on the fresh fruits and vegetables. Does that make sense? P: Yeah. C: Yeah ok. C: I don't know.

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A: Yeah C: And you're paying the rest. So you can spend yours on anything that is eligible. P: Normally food stamps limit what you can get… A: Exactly. Yeah and we also got the confirmation that they got another grant this year to maintain the program and so with this that money since they have been hearing some things about running out of tokens they are making sure they are going to purchase more tokens so they shouldn't be running out um any more so hopefully that won't happen again which is awesome. P: Yeah. A: So, last week we talked a little bit about what sorts of materials might be helpful to disseminate some of the information about Fresh Bucks and how we would like to learn about it so, we came up with a couple of ideas and we are going to show you four mock ups that we like. Just really rough drafts that we have drawn or made on the computer, um, but we are thinking that well have postcards, posters, ads on the bus, recipe cards, um, and posting on Facebook. So that's kind of the direction we are thinking of going. so first things about Facebook is uh, whose Facebook or what agency’s Facebook would you want to see posting this on. Like the opportunity council? P: Yeah. P: Yeah. A: Ok. P: Yeah. C: Are there any other places that you would like to see that advertised? P: A lot of people come to hope house. A: Ok. C: Do they have a Facebook? P: WIC has a Facebook. P: I don't know if they do or not. P: Right? A: WIC? C: Oh yeah? P: Oh yeah, WIC. P: They'll send it to agencies that work with those people. A: Ok. Cool. Would it be helpful if it was a friend posting it or do you think I would be more helpful if it was just spread by agencies? P: Well I guess you can choose to follow it from there, you know you can follow them so things will automatically post to your timeline. A: Ok awesome. So what we'll do is just go through the four things that we've drawn and just get your feedback on them so we'll start with the recipe cards. so for those of you who were here last week the idea is that sometimes going to the farmers market and buying the produce can be somewhat intimidating if you don't know how to use it so we came up with the idea of having recipe cards with just really simple recipes on them with the food you can purchase at the market to try to make it easier um when you bring it home so you don't get confused with what to make and how to make it. so um ill bring it around but it’s just about the size of a note card it will have the recipe on the front with the fresh bucks logo and then on the back it has a bigger logo that says free ebt match up to ten dollars and it has the steps on how to do it so you can pass it or I can just walk around with it and if you just want to give us your feedback that would be wonderful. P: Oh ok. A: Yeah so it can be about the color it can be about the content, really anything. P: I, oh- P: Ok, so what’s, the blank part again? A: The blue part on the front is where the recipe would go. P: Ok. A: Yeah. C: We just don't have an actual recipe on it right now. P: Right. P: So you would want it like put it black and white or something. P: Are you going to put it, are you guys going to put just one recipe? Or are you going to put more?

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C: I think one recipe per card I think and so there could be like various cards like one for like related some sort of vegetable one for some fruits or. Various cards. P: I think that’s a great idea. P: Really fine print. A: it’s a little blurry I think because that image was taken from online so it would be, yeah,- C: Yeah. P: I can't see it. A: So we are going to hand all of the handouts around and just kind of take mental notes on what ones you like and what you didn't like that way um, go bring them up when there is time on um asking but guys think about. We will hand around number two. Just kind of think about it we are still on, we are taking number one but then remember what you like and didn't like about number two, number three and four. We will just go around. Any other feedback on number one? P: I didn't see it. A: It’s coming around still. C: So question it said double your dollars up to ten dollars per day. So I could go the next day and still get the same amount as the day before? A: Yeah. P: Well it’s only on Saturdays P: And Wednesdays remember? A: Yeah Wednesdays and Saturdays. P: I could go Wednesday and Saturday? A: Yes. P: Ok. A: Wednesdays it's in Fairhaven yeah, and Saturdays it's downtown. P: I didn't know they had a Farmers Market in Fairhaven. P: Yeah. P: Where in Fairhaven is it. P: Isn’t it in the green. P: Or is it changed now? C: The address isn't on that one. P: It’s, do you know where, back behind village books is at? That grassy area the one with the village green. P: And it’s in the part that goes down to the downtown ferry I think. P: But we can print out maps. P: Can you guys maybe give us which stops we should take? To get off to- A: Oh. C: That’s a good idea. P: Yeah if we’re going to take the bus. A: Totally. P: The stop before McKenzie would probably be the easiest one. A: Cool that would be awesome. P: The one before the closest one. A: The one before it? Ok. P: Twice a week you could earn up to ten or 20 free dollars P: Hm. So that’s by spending twenty of your own EBT dollars? C: Hold on, there would be- it would just be back to back it wouldn't actually be like that. Then on that side that you're looking at would be the recipe. We just don't have their recipe on there right now. So what do you all think about the recipe card? P: I thought it was really good. P: Yeah. P: Where are they going to be at? At the Co-Op? Or where else? A: We could have them, for example they could be like, potentially at the opportunity council, maybe they could hand them out there. P: I remember hearing you talk about it, I just didn't remember where.

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A: Where would you guys, where would you want them to be? P: Would like having them at Interfaith be a good idea or the WIC office? P: Yeah. A: Where are some ideas that would be good? P: I think at the OC would be good. P: At the, did you already say it? At the places with the farmers market, yeah. P: we could as DSHS though. P: Anywhere you shop or stop. P: I wasn't really sure what you guys were saying the things like... P: Distribute them at hope house because a lot of people do go to hope house that use food stamps so that could help. P: Yeah or like CSTS you know, places that women that are here go like in you know, like recover places. C: So maybe just having them in various places would be helpful. P: Yeah. P: Yeah. A: Would they be helpful at the farmers market also? P: Yeah. P: Oh yeah. P: Yeah, yeah, yeah. P: Definitely because that's where I go to use it you know. P: At each of the vendors, so when we buy their produce. A: So we’ll move on, are we good? Yeah. So we'll move onto the next one. Will you hold up number two? C: Post card? A: Yeah postcard. P: Oh I like that. P: I have a suggestion. It’s kind of strange I think you should do it counter clockwise P: Yeah it’s backwards. A: Got it. So starting in the top left corner and going like this? Yeah? P: Yeah, it’s just a little confusing. A: Any other feedback on the postcard guys? P: This one was first before that one. P: Oh ok. C: Would you guys respond to a postcard if it was mailed to you, would you look at it or just toss it away? P: It depends on what day, probably Tuesdays we get all those coupon books and stuff right? P: I threw those away honestly. P: Yeah. P: I don’t even look at them. P: Anything that's not important. A: So, what if it was rather than, even though it's a card what if it wasn't mailed to you but like stuck to your door P: Yeah! A: Or dropped off or even on the table when you came to eat would that be better? P: Yeah that would be better. A: Ok, just so it doesn't get mixed in with all the junk mail? P: Yeah for sure. A: Ok. P Yeah that would be better. P: I almost threw away my um paper which is saying that the junk mail that we get - sometimes I go through and just look but sometimes I just throw it all - one time I went through it all and I had mail in it so yeah… I always look after that. C: Anything about the, even though it's just a drawing, anything about the design you would want changed? For the post card? P: Just the letters are kind of small. A: Ok.

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P: Ok, so making sure is bigger for us to read is helpful. A: We’re also working on updating the map that was on the materials we showed you last time because I know the map was kind of confusing so we are working on maybe zooming in on where the pavilion would actually be. A: Alright what about the third one, the poster. C: So what about the poster, um there is a poster over there, what do you all think about that? P: That is awesome! P: Oh yeah. P: I like it. P: I really like it. C: Anything you would change? P: Maybe a little bit bigger C: Ok, yeah and the real poster probably would be bigger. P: It is a nice decoration. P: It’s got a lot of information like, you like don’t really have much questions. P: Yeah. P: You can just look at it and be like “oh yeah”. P: Yeah. A: Ok, so where would you want to see those posters? For any, is it kind of the same as where? P: Down here, like, like, places we looked, back before we knew about the opportunity council, i always look at those, I always read things on the bus but I don't know if you re aloud to put them on the bus but I read those things when I’m just sitting there when Ii don't want to make eye contact with people you know? A: Mmhmm. P: Yeah. A: Awesome. P: I always read Fred Meyer’s community boards by the bathroom you know; they have that big huge bulletin board. P: Oh the bulletin board? I always read on there I don't know why but, I don’t even know what I’m reading for. A: Good to know. P: So that’s something I do. P: A lot of people do stop and look at it. P: And at parks and in Boulevard Park they have the boards. A: In Boulevard? Oh yeah. A: Yes? P: At the bottom here it says fresh bucks can only be purchased on Saturday. C: Yeah you can't actually purchase them at the Fairhaven one as far as we know but you can use them. P: Oh so you can’t get 20$ each week that was a mistake. P: You might want to clarify P: So you can use the tokens? A: We can double check on that. P: If you go on Saturday and you only buy $12 worth of stuff that's going to take up 8 of your tokens C: That specific information is as of last year, so that could have been another thing that they updated but I know they have been changing it a lot lately. A: So clarifying on that one. P: That was a really good catch. P: Yeah it was. A: Was there anything else about the poster? A: So the last thing is the bus add, so this would be what’s um inside the bus on the top P: I have seen that on the bus already. A: So, for the picture in the middle the idea so far would be the picture of produce or a picture of somebody actually using their EBT, like giving their EBT card at the market do you have a preference of what the picture would be? What would catch your attention more? P: The like this, well like what did you say, somebody giving their EBT card? A: Someone actually using their EBT card.

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P: That would be more eye catch for be because I’ll be like oh I have a baby you know and I use EBT card so when I can read about it you know. Rather than just produce cause I see vegetables A: Ok. So general consensus is someone using their card. Ok. um we are also trying because I know some of the feedback last week was that on the top of the title didn't actually say farmers market so um now all of them will say double your EBT dollars at the farmers market, is that something that you think will be better? Awesome. So we also talked of the idea of a sticker last week we don't have it with us but the thing we showed you last week if you were here is essentially what we will do but it will be this, this logo and then in red writing around the outside it was going to say go to the Farmers Market with EBT card up to ten dollars matched so, um, we had positive feedback to the sticker last week or maybe making them into magnets, what are you thinking about stickers this week? P: I’m thinking magnets. P: Magnets. P: Magnets. P: I like magnets. P: Stickers are automatically a mess. P: You aren’t going to see them for very long. A: Ok you like magnets that sounds good. Awesome. C: Are there, is there any other feedback anyone has thought of for just the program in general, what you would like it to be like or anything? P: I just really like the idea of the recipe cards. Just because I don't know what to do with the fruits and most people do. A: Yeah. C: Did you have something too? P: Yeah um well I think someone had mentioned last week there was trouble knowing which vendors are actually taking the tokens so if you had them like have one of the stickers on their sign that say that they accept EBT or something. P: Yeah, yeah. P: That would be really helpful when you're kind of aimlessly shopping. P: Yeah that would definitely make me not want to go if like I didn't know where to go I would get anxious like, like paying with dollars. P: Yeah keep it simple. A: So maybe what we can do is tack that logo with the writing around it as the sticker and have some be stickers and have them put the sticker on their little boots then they get used to magnets as well if they want. P: It would make it easier for the vendors too. C: That’s true. A: Yeah definitely. So those are really the main things that we are planning to do for the campaign, is there anything else you think maybe we are missing or that we should add or reconsider or do you think that we are kind of hit all of our areas? So if we are missing something you can totally tell us. P: Ok I think you guys made a fair amount of materials. P: It’s very informational. A: That's good! Awesome. C: Yeah I think that with, some of the confusion with the program will subside as the program goes on since last year was the first year that was actually implemented in Bellingham so they are just going to keep improving it. So yeah. Otherwise I don't really have much to say A: Yeah that’s really all we have unless anyone has any questions I think that’s all. P: I do definitely think that you guys should put the posters at DSHS so people can see them while they are sit A: They definitely want to do that also because they are trying to be able to push it more right when people get their EBT cards P: Oh ok. A: So that will definitely happen, and yeah thank you for suggesting that it’s very smart. C: Yeah we appreciate everyone's feedback. A: Yeah, yeah and that's it , thank you so much, hopefully you get some of our materials in a little while so keep your eyes peeled.

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Literature Review Articles

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