Prairie Loft steps in as Market Manager
Partnership introduces SNAP benefit acceptance and brings expanded programming to the market this summer
HASTINGS, NE — Prairie Loft will serve as the market manager for the Highland Park Farmers Market in Hastings, Nebraska starting Saturday, May 16. Former market managers: Alan and Carol Kruger, Rod and Sue Jensen and Bill and Renee Keenan managed the market since 2009 and are looking forward to returning this season as vendors and producers, rather than managers. “We felt Prairie Loft was the best fit to manage the market,” said Carol Kruger.
Alan Kruger followed up the sentiment by saying, “From agriculture to teaching the community, everything that Prairie Loft does fits with the mission of the market. Prairie Loft has been a part of the community for many, many years and we thought it’d be a good fit to keep management local, community-focused, and add some learning elements.”
Prairie Loft’s mission is to teach agricultural appreciation, outdoor education, cultural connections, and the wise use of natural resources. Those values directly align with the work of the Highland Park Farmers Market in connecting people to locally grown food, directly from farmers and producers. This year, market attendees can expect more programming, community collaboration with the Hastings Museum offering $1 off admission with proof of market purchase, plus the addition of SNAP EBT acceptance.
SNAP Benefits
Through the management change, the Highland Park Farmers Market will accept SNAP EBT benefits for the first time this season. Shoppers will be able to use their benefits to purchase produce and goods directly from vendors, expanding access to local food for more Hastings residents.
Programming
Prairie Loft will offer programming at the market throughout the summer. Activities will reflect the organization’s focus on promoting more time outdoors, away from screens, connecting to the land, and where food comes from, following it from farm to fork.
“We believe it’s important to reach and teach as many people as possible,” said executive director Megan Arrington-Williams. “We hope to make attending the farmers market a community experience that brings everyone together. Our property is beautiful and, at times, it may be limiting for some to get there. By being at the Highland Park Farmers Market, we will be able to bring our hands-on outdoor learning to more people. Then, hopefully, that impact will lead to them coming to see what opportunities we offer on-site.”
About the Highland Park Farmers Market
The Highland Park Farmers Market has been operating at 14th and Hastings Ave.–– behind the Hastings Museum–– since 2009. This year’s market starts Saturday, May 16th from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and runs through October.
About Prairie Loft
Prairie Loft is a nonprofit outdoor and agricultural learning center that values creating new and deeper connections to the land, ideas, and each other create a more active, aware, and involved community. Their 75-acre site is located at 4705 DLD Road, Hastings, NE 68901