ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — An event that celebrates community, farmers and music will also help families that worry about having enough food each month.
HarvestFest — now in its third year — benefits ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program, which was launched in 2019. The program allows SNAP participants to get as much as $20 extra to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.
The guests of honor at this year’s fest will be local farmers.
“In honor of our local farmers and all they do to sustain our community, all farmers and their families will have free entry to the event. There will also be a VIF section (Very Important Farmers) that will pamper our farmers during the busy harvest season,” according to the Olivette website.
This year’s HarvestFest is set for 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, at Olivette Farms’ Riverside Park. There will be family games and activities, a silent auction and the Jackson Grimm Band will kick off at 4 p.m.
“The farmers at Olivette have seen firsthand how this program has impacted the community,” Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project Communications and Engagement Director Sarah Hart said.
ASAP offers resources, training and support to nearly 900 farms throughout the region, including Olivette Farm, which is part of the Olivette community, Hart said.
“In addition to that general farm support, Olivette Farm is currently a vendor at ASAP’s Asheville City Market and ASAP has hosted farm tours at Olivette Farm. We know their farmers well, which extended into a relationship with the Olivette community leadership,” she said.
Hart said ASAP doubled $114,453 in SNAP dollars spent across nine farmers markets in 2023 with more than 1,250 Buncombe County households using the Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program at farmers markets.
“This project has the long-term potential of disrupting multigenerational patterns of food insecurity and poor nutrition in an Appalachian population,” Hart said.
Tickets are $25 and all proceeds will go to the ASAP Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program. CLICK HERE for ticket information.