One major priority for the Napa Farmers Market mission is to ensure equitable access to farm fresh produce by our neighbors with low-income. We do this through a variety of food assistance programs, CalFresh Market Match being our major initiative.

In order to provide food assistance, we need money to back up this promise. This year we have the ambitious but necessary goal of raising $50,000 for our food assistance programs via the Give!Guide. Our overall need for 2026 food assistance funds to help low-income customers purchase fruits and veggies is $100,000. Your donation through www.candogiveguide.org will help get us half the way there and every dollar supports low-income folks and small farmers together.

The good news is we have seen major increase in utilization of our program this year. In 2024 we served 525 CalFresh households during the entire year. So far, we have already served 515 households January through August 2025. This is an increase in the trend of households served as we continue to welcome new CalFresh Market Match customers every month. Based on last year’s new customer intake, we will serve an estimated additional 76 households, bringing total household served to 591, which is a 14% increase.

In addition to serving more low-income households, we have seen a 23% increase in total Market Match funds requested. This is a highly unanticipated amount of growth, as typically we see growth between 4% – 7%. We believe this is because in combination with serving more low-income households, customers are taking advantage of doubling their food budgets through the Market Match program by spending more of the CalFresh benefits with us.

And now for the bad news: unfortunately, in combination with the unprecedented program growth, this year we received less funding than ever for the CalFresh Market Match program. Previous supporters have either distributed all their available funds or redirected their funding focus and did not include our program in their giving.

We have one secure funding source: the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP). CNIP reimburses the Napa Farmers Market a maximum of $15 per CalFresh customer transaction per market. This covers about 33% of the total program funding. As of August 2025, we have spent all funds designated for the remaining gap to provide a 100% match and are currently covering the gap using our reserve funds while we seek additional support for the program. The reason we have always gone above and beyond the $15 matching amount is because the more we can help stretch their food budgets, the more money folks with low-income will have to spend on other expenses like housing, childcare, healthcare, and transportation. We are actively seeking support to fill the 2025 gap from local funders as well as planning ahead for the program funding need next year.

So, what can you do to help? We are thrilled to be part of the 2025 Napa Valley CanDo Give!Guide. You can help by donating via the Give!Guide to the Napa Farmers Market during the campaign, which will run November 1 – December 31. All donations received will support our 2026 food assistance programs, especially CalFresh Market Match funds, which we need now more than even.

Thank you,
Cara Mae

Download our 2024 Impact Report

Hi friends!

Your tax-deductible donation to the Napa Farmers Market provides funds to support the cost of operating our world class farmers market week after week. Donations are used for everything from operating our food assistance programs, replacing tents, to marketing, all the way down to compostable liners for our bins. These are the necessary nuts and bolts behind the scenes and on site that allow us to:

• Operate 87 markets year-round, rain or shine
• Support the livelihood of 37 family farmers and 101 small businesses (including 64 Napa-based farms & businesses)
• Welcome over 168,200 customer visits (75% Napa residents)
• Serve 685 households with low-income through our food assistance programs
• Provide over $196,600 in food assistance dollars for customers with low-income to purchase farm fresh fruits and veggies
• Host space for 40 nonprofit, community, and government organizations to directly connect with our neighbors

Our main source of revenue is stall fees (“rent”) that farmers and vendors pay to be at the market. We charge a flat rate per stall per market and do not take a portion of their sales. It is part of our nonprofit mission to keep our stall fees low, so our vendors take home the maximum amount of their direct to customer sales and continue to grow their business.

Your donation sustains the foundation of a rare space in Napa: a place that is truly for locals to connect with their farmers, their food makers, and each other where everyone has access to the best food, relationships blossom, and small farmers and businesses thrive.

Thank you for helping us grow together,
Cara Mae Wooledge, MPH
Executive Director, Napa Farmers Market

Click below to make a secure online donation

Or mail a check payable to “Napa Farmers Market”
PO Box 10822
Napa, CA 94581

All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of IRS 501(c)(3) law.