Employers want happy, healthy employees. Employees want to have fun in their time off and they love to eat good food. Enter Bumper Crop, a program of the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM) that provides employers with an innovative workplace wellness option that is also an employee appreciation incentive.
Through Bumper Crop, Maine employers provide gift vouchers to employees to buy fresh food at farmers’ markets. These vouchers allow hard-working employees to benefit from farmers’ market shopping. Shopping at markets is a great way to purchase high-quality food and support local farmers while connecting with neighbors and meeting new people. Plus, company participation goes beyond helping employees: dollars spent with local farms strengthen our local economies.
MFFM works with employers to design a program that fits their needs. Employers only pay for the vouchers employees use. MFFM tracks employee participation to chart the positive impact Bumper Crop makes on the workplace and the community.
Employees love it. One 2021 participant from the City of Bangor remarked: “Thank you! This is such a wonderful win-win-win way to appreciate employees!” And companies have a unique way to let employees know they matter. As a company manager from Flycatcher LLC (based in Yarmouth) observed: “The program is set up well. As a company manager, I really like the idea and opportunity to encourage staff to purchase local, healthy, foods.”
Interested employers can get more information by contacting Jimmy DeBiasi at [email protected] or 207-370-1524. Or by filling out the interest form on the Bumper Crop web page, mffm.org/bumpercrop. Interested employees can make sure to share this opportunity with their human resources department.