2021 Season Kicked off on May 15 – Second Market This Saturday
TIFFIN, OHIO – May 27, 2021 – The board of Seneca County Common Ground recently visited Sutton Bank to thank them for sponsoring the 2021 Farmers Market season. Leadership at Sutton were presented with a certificate of appreciation and a gift basket of items from local vendors. This is the second year in a row that Sutton Bank has sponsored the market.
Tony Gorrell, President & CEO of Sutton Bank said, "One of the niches that Sutton Bank strives to support in our community is the ag sector, and supporting the market allows us to tie together our local customer base and our agricultural partners." Gorrell said. “The market offers our community the ability to choose locally sourced products which supports both agriculture and small business.”
At the season kickoff ceremony on May 15, the board of Seneca County Common Ground thanked individuals and entities for their help in organizing the market and several community leaders provided comments in celebration.
Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz commented, “I am ecstatic to see the Tiffin Seneca Farmers Market returning for another season here in the heart of Downtown Tiffin. The market increases our city's quality of life and adds to the vibrancy of culture in our community. I am especially excited this year to welcome the new payment acceptance programs being offered that will allow the market to be accessible to all Tiffin and Seneca County residents regardless of financial means. Thank you to the board of Seneca County Common Ground and all the volunteers who make the market and these new programs possible, and of course to John and Linda Detwiler who began the farmers market years ago."
David Zak, President and CEO of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership said, “I firmly believe in the power of a regular, high-quality Farmers Market to bring more people downtown more often, supporting not only our local producers but also our downtown retailers. I also want to commend Seneca County Common Ground for the creation of a Farmers Market "bank" where credit cards, SNAP, and WIC are now accepted. It's a wonderful step you've taken to provide everyone access to the delicious, high-quality, local food and other products available here.”
A video of the kickoff ceremony can be viewed on the Farmers Market Facebook page at https://fb.watch/5M5Q-hx2il/ .
May 15 was the first day of the Market Bank program which allows SNAP/EBT cards, WIC Farmers Market Vouchers, Senior Farmers Market Vouchers, and regular credit cards to be accepted by market vendors. On the first day, over $250 in SNAP was redeemed and almost $300 was redeemed via credit cards.
This Saturday, the Produce Perks program will also begin through the Market Bank. Produce Perks is a fruit and vegetable incentive program that provides a $25 match on SNAP/EBT and P-EBT purchases. This means that any amount spent with SNAP/EBT or P-EBT, up to $25, will be matched dollar for dollar. Customers wishing to use their SNAP/EBT funds or credit cards can expect to visit the Market Bank to redeem tokens to shop the market.
The 2021 season of the Tiffin Seneca Farmers Market continues this Saturday, May 29th 9am-1pm. The market will occur on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month now until October and is located on South Washington Street between Perry and Market streets. The list of vendors for this week includes: Baked By Bells, Bella Cuisine, Countryside Acres, Buckeye Star Alpaca, Riehm Produce, Subtle Verse Photography, Miss Cindy's Cookies, Drowns Produce, Me and the Boys, I Love Cupcakes, Spirit Space, Creative Pottery, The Lions Club, Clay Hill Organic, Smith Brothers Sweets, Put Your Name On It, Raizen Girls Cookies, Sister Gemma, Flo's Pies and the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library.
To learn more about the Tiffin Seneca Farmers Market and specifically about the Market Bank, visit and subscribe at www.tiffinsenecafarmersmarket.com/. If you are interested in becoming a vendor or have questions, you may contact the Farmer Market Manager, Kirsten Ameling, at manager@sccommonground.org.
About Seneca County Common Ground
Created in 2019, Seneca County Common Ground (SCCG) is a new organization whose mission is to strengthen Seneca County's local food system through collaboration to improve the overall health and growth of our community, and a vision of a vibrant, accessible and sustainable local food system in Seneca County that supports the health of residents, businesses and institutions. The board of the organization includes Seneca County OSU Extension Agent Hallie Williams, Reverend Aaron Gerlach of Old Trinity Episcopal Church, local business owner and chair of the Downtown Retailers Committee Dave Spridgeon, local business leader Dale Depew, TSEP Development Manager Audrey Flood, and local food vendors Kristy Buskirk of Clay Hill Farms and John Riehm of Riehm Produce Farm. SCCG oversees the operations of the Tiffin Seneca Farmers Market and supports other local food initiatives including the Tiffin Community Kitchen Project. Find out more at sccommonground.org or find Seneca County Common Ground on Facebook.
About the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. Read more at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program .