Nourish is an online platform offering low-price grocery bundles for purchase with bi-weekly pick up at Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Evansville. The goal of Nourish as a community food buying club is to increase access to nutrient-dense foods, kitchen tools, cooking and nutrition resources. Nourish purchases are SNAP eligible and Urban Seeds is working to establish partner pick up sites through the Evansville Promise Neighborhood. In partnership with the Vanderburgh County Health Department, Urban Seeds also provides qualifying participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program with a free fresh produce bag, ProduceRX, a bi-weekly produce prescription.
Market on Main provides access to fresh, local produce and economic opportunity for farms and small businesses. Market on Main takes place on Wednesdays, from June-September downtown Evansville. The farmers market is a community hub, bringing farmers, makers, musicians, nonprofits and community members together in the Ford Center Plaza.
Urban Seeds manages SNAP acceptance for the three Evansville farmers markets, Market on Main, Franklin Street Bazaar and Evansville Farmers Market. Supported by the Healthy Communities Partnership, SNAP recipients receive vouchers to make purchases at the market and farmers are reimbursed the same day. All SNAP recipients are eligible for Double Up vouchers, which enables recipients to maximize their benefits with a free $20 match per day to purchase fruits and vegetables.
A virtual cooking class series for kids, Book n’ Cook, is offered to 30 children in 3rd-5th grade. With monthly episodes from June-October, the free program is a collaboration between Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, Legacy Taste of the Garden and Urban Seeds to promote literacy, local food and agricultural education. Book n’ Cook participants receive a “cook kit” with kitchen tools and equipment and five new books at the start of the program. Participants pick up the recipe ingredients on Friday at their nearest EVPL branch and tune in live on Saturday morning or watch the recording at a later time.
Urban Seeds is part of the Indiana Value Chain Network working to increase sales and market opportunities for farmers and food businesses throughout the Southwestern Indiana region. As a result of this work, Urban Seeds launched a new offering for our Nourish members in August 2023. Local Picks is a fresh produce bundle priced at $10 that includes 4-6 seasonal fruits and vegetables sourced from local farms. This year, we’re proud to announce our participation in the 2024 Community & Agriculture Resilience Audit Tool (CARAT) Pilot Program. The assessment tool is designed to evaluate the strengths and vulnerabilities of our food system in Southwestern Indiana.
