FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Midtown Farmers Market
Welcome to the Midtown Farmers Market FAQs! Find answers to common questions to plan and enjoy your visit. Thanks for visiting the market!
Q: Who manages Midtown Farmers Market?
Macy-Chau Tran (she/they) and Chris Ortiz (he/they) are the current market managers. They withdraw EBT, share free snacks & water, and steward the marketplace.
Q: What are Midtown Bucks?
Midtown Bucks is a community-funded cash system used at Midtown Farmers Market to support EBT users’ participation at the market. Learn more here.
Q: Where will the market be this year? Didn’t I hear you guys were moving?
MFM was anticipating a move this year due to the Hi-Lake Light Rail Redesign construction. However, Metro Transit alerted us that they have decided to postpone construction for one more year.
The market will continue, as usual, at our home on 2225 E Lake St. This year our operating hours are from 9am-1pm (closing an hour earlier than last season).
Q: Where do I park?
The Hennepin County lot is the designated parking lot for the market. Please do not park in the B-Side parking lot; your car will get towed.
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Please follow signs for parking! We also recommend biking, walking, or riding public transit to get to the market.
Q: Can I bring my pet?
​Unless your pet is a service animal, we kindly ask you to leave your furry friends at home. Thanks for understanding!
Q: Is the market mobility aid accessible? Do you have a bathroom?
We are fully mobility aid accessible, with no steps nor curbs to enter the market. There are also two public, single stall bathrooms on the premises. The first hour of the market from 9-10am is a designated quiet hour (no music or programming) for those with sensory sensitivities.
Q: What’s the deal with the recycling program?
Thanks to our volunteer recycling ambassador Barbara, the recycling program continues this year. Clear your junk drawer & help the planet by bringing your batteries, light bulbs, and any electronics and metal smaller than a laptop to the market to recycle. Please note that we no longer recycle styrofoam.
​Q: Do you accept EBT?
Yes! We were the first farmers market in MN to accept EBT, and continue to do so today. This season, we can guarantee state-funded market bucks matching for those that receive EBT Food benefits. However, the future of produce bucks matching is uncertain due to federal funding cuts to SNAP. If there are any updates to this, you’ll be the first to know. To learn more head to:
Q: Any updates on Tuesday markets?
Tuesday markets are still cancelled till further notice, due to staff capacity and staffing changes. Thank you for your understanding.
Q: How do I know what’s happening at Midtown every Saturday?
A few days before the market, we will post on our socials a list of vendors and free programs special to that weekend. Please note that we strive for this list to be as accurate as possible, but we cannot predict whether vendors or programs may cancel last minute.
We also send out a weekly MFM e-newsletter highlighting the activities of the market.
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Signup for the MFM newsletter here
Frequently Asked Questions
Midtown Bucks
If you haven’t heard yet, Midtown Farmers Market has been piloting their new food access program this season called “Midtown Bucks”. With new changes comes lots of questions. So here’s your guide to learn how Midtown Bucks work, and to use them confidently at the market!
Q: What are Midtown Bucks? Can you elaborate?
Midtown Bucks is a community-funded cash system used at Midtown Farmers Market to support EBT users’ participation at the market. If you are an EBT user, you can come to the info booth to withdraw EBT, and we will automatically give you Midtown Bucks to spend at the market, regardless of whether you receive EBT food or cash!
Q: What can I spend Midtown Bucks on?
Midtown Bucks, similar to market bucks, can be used to purchase EBT-eligible food at our farmers market. They can used as cash for produce, bread, eggs, pastries, jam, pickles, and more! Currently, they cannot be used to purchase made-to-order foods and drinks, though this might change next season.
​Q: How are Midtown Bucks different than Market Bucks?
Market Bucks is a state funded matching program that only SNAP-EBT are eligible to receive. Market Bucks can be used to purchase EBT-eligible items at any farmers market in Minneapolis that takes EBT. Midtown Bucks is funded through our local community, and does not discriminate between SNAP-EBT users and Cash-EBT users. Midtown Bucks can only be spent at Midtown Farmers Market
Q: How does EBT Matching work?
Come to the info booth, and we will match you up to $10 of the EBT you withdraw from your account. Basically, we give you free, extra money to spend at the market! We reimburse vendors monthly for the amount they make in Midtown Bucks and EBT. If you want to know the nitty gritty of how this works, see below. If you’re still confused, no worries! Meet us at the info booth and we’ll explain it to you in-person.
Scenario 1
You are a SNAP-EBT user. You withdraw $10 of EBT. We will give you: $10 in EBT tokens (this is what comes from your EBT account), $10 in Market Bucks (free, from the state), and $10 in Midtown Bucks (free, from our community) for a total of $30 to spend at the market.
Scenario 2
You are a SNAP-EBT user and you want to withdraw $20. We give you $20 in EBT tokens. However, we will only match you up to $10 so you would still receive $10 in market bucks, $10 in Midtown Bucks. Total, you would have $40 to spend at the market.
Scenario 3
You are a Cash-EBT user. You withdraw $10 in EBT. We would give you $10 in tokens and $20 in Midtown Bucks for a total of $30 to spend at the market.
Since EBT-Cash users cannot receive Market Bucks, we double up Midtown Bucks to no more than $20. This is so that EBT-Cash recipients receive the same benefits as EBT-SNAP users.