A Buzzing Success: Food Assistance Match Program
The Bees Were Buzzing—and So Were We
There was a moment on Tuesday evening when I looked up from the Bethel Park booth and thought, This is what a perfect market day looks like. Families were still wandering the vendor booths, the skies had stayed dry (mostly), and the sound of laughter from the bee visitors carried on the breeze.
In honor of World Bee Day, we brought a little extra buzz to the market:
- 🐝 Kids picked up free activity books filled with fun facts and puzzles.
- 🍯 Our honey vendor, Swope’s Berries & Bees, brought a live observation hive (yes, actual bees—safely enclosed!) that drew curious eyes of all ages.
- 🍪 One of our bakers created adorable bee-themed cookies that disappeared almost as quickly as they hit the table.
At one point, a little girl in a “Save the Bees” T-shirt lit up when she found out she could actually visit bees at the market. That kind of moment is why we do our best to bring education, accessibility, and fun to the Bethel Park Farmers' Market.
Our Community Showed Up
We don’t track official attendance, but judging by the crowd and how many vendors reported record sales, we estimate almost 1,000 people came through the market.
Several food trucks sold out before the end of the day—not necessarily something we celebrate, because we know it means some folks left hungry or disappointed. But it’s a clear sign of how strong the demand is, and we're already looking at ways to help vendors better plan for those big days.
A Big Day for Food Access, Too
This market also marked one of our busiest days ever for SNAP/EBT transactions—and we’re incredibly proud of that.
Through our partnership with FAM (Food Assistance Match) and St. Clair Hospital, we help make fresh, local food more accessible to families in our community. Shoppers using SNAP/EBT can receive a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $100 per market. This means they can stretch their benefits and take home more healthy, local groceries.
We’ve already helped shoppers save nearly $300 this season—and we’re just three weeks in.
Here’s how it works:
- Shoppers using SNAP/EBT browse the market and shop directly with participating vendors.
- At checkout, those vendors give the shopper a FAM-specific receipt and hold onto their selected groceries.
- When ready, the shopper brings all their FAM receipts to the Bethel Park booth, where we run their SNAP/EBT transaction.
- Thanks to our partnership with St. Clair Hospital and the FAM program, we match up to $100 in purchases.
- Our team then collects the groceries from each vendor and brings everything back to the shopper.
It’s simple, dignified, and honestly, one of the programs I’m most proud to be part of.
These 28 Vendors Currently Participate in FAM:
- 1:11 Juice Bar
- Becca Bakes
- Billy's Country Smokehouse
- Black & Gold Jerky
- The Brinery / Two Acre Farm
- Brochachos Salsa
- Cafe Chocolade
- Cherish Creamery
- Chocolate Moonshine
- Four Soils Farm
- Goose Run Farm
- Hello Hummus
- Jodinkos Farm
- Jose Quiroz Farm
- Keystone Cultures
- KizzleFoods
- Lemmon Bros. Farms
- Lettuce Ladies
- Loafers Bread Co.
- Logan Family Farms
- Michael T's Bakery
- Old Road Farm
- The Pie Place
- Rockin' Cat Organic Coffee & Tea
- Searchlight / Olive Tap
- Simmons Farm
- The Springhouse
- Swope's Berries & Bees
Whether it’s goat cheese, fresh juice, local beef, sourdough bread, or farm-grown lettuce, there’s a huge range of choices—and all eligible for the match.
Thanks for a Sweet Week
It’s not every Tuesday you get bees, cookies, sunshine, and a program that helps neighbors bring home fresh food for the week—but this week, we got all of it.
If you couldn’t make it or left without grabbing dinner, we see you—and we’re working to keep pace with this growing crowd. Come visit us next Tuesday from 3–7 p.m. at the South Park Corrigan Drive lot. Bring your tote bags, your appetite, and your love for local.
We’ll be here. 🐝
