Farmers Market is raising money with supper to fund coupons for WIC families

The Webb City Farmers Market is offering a tasty way for everyone to help fund the market’s program to improve the nutrition of Women Infants and Children.

A $20 ticket will buy a salad and bottomless bowl of soup, which will be served from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, in the Mining Days Community Building in King Jack Park, 702 Dawson Drive.

Restaurants providing soups include Famos Grill, Twisted Kitchen, Ghetto Taco, and the Market Kitchen. Choices expected include creamy chicken noodle, steak and mushroom brie, chicken tortilla, butternut bisque, and root vegetable soup.

Under the market’s WIC program, WIC families can come to the information table at the market once a week to receive two $5 coupons for the purchase of locally grown fruits and vegetables, meat, and eggs.

One hundred percent of this fundraiser’s receipts will go directly to providing WIC coupons.

WIC, which stands for Women Infants Children, is a state program that provides a small amount of supplemental food to low income new mothers and to children from new-born through 5 years one month to help ensure that they have adequate nutrition to develop strong healthy bodies. In Missouri, WIC familes cannot use the program to shop at farmers markets so the Webb City Farmers Market started a privately funded program seven years ago to increase access for these families to local foods. The program began small and has grown as funding has permitted.  In 2022, the market has distributed an average of $180 worth of coupons each week with some weeks reaching as much as $300.

Market manager Rachael Lynch says the market is currently helping an average of 18 families, which requires about $720 in donations each month.

WIC is probably the market’s most deeply appreciated hunger-fighting program. Former market manager, Eileen Nichols, who began the program, remembers the first day the coupons were offered. “We had very limited funding so didn’t initially publicize the program. We just put up signs in the pavilion inviting WIC families to stop by the information table. Two of the WIC moms that day cried when they learned of the program. I don’t know if they cried from joy at being able to better feed their kids or were touched that the community cared about their little ones, or both. Since then we have had many moms tell us that the market’s program is the only way they can put fresh fruits and vegetables on their children’s plates.” 

She continued, “We think this is a wonderful win-win. Our little ones are better fed, our farmers make more sales, and our community, as individuals, businesses, churches, and charities, make a difference.”

For more information about the fundraiser or the market’s WIC program, please call or text (417) 438-5833.

Even if you can’t attend this fundraiser, you can still donate to the cause – at the market information table or by mailing a check to: Webb City Farmers Market, P.O. Box One, Webb City MO 64870.