Prairie du Chien Farmers Market Receives Compeer Financial Grant to Expand Fresh Food Access

The Prairie du Chien Farmers Market has received a $1,000 grant from Compeer Financial to support fresh food access initiatives at the market, including SNAP/EBT processing and the launch of the Neighborhood Harvest program. The market is operated as a program of Driftless Development, Inc. (DDI).

Misty Johnson, Prairie du Chien Farmers Market Manager, accepting award from Compeer Financial

More Fresh Food, More Access

The Prairie du Chien Farmers Market accepts SNAP/EBT, and the Compeer grant helps support that infrastructure, making it easier for families who rely on FoodShare to shop for fresh, local produce alongside everyone else. More fresh food at the market means more options for everyone.

The grant also helps support outreach and promotion efforts so more residents know these resources are available.

Neighborhood Harvest: Your Garden Can Feed Your Community

Neighborhood Harvest is launching this year at farmers markets across Crawford County, and the Compeer grant gives the Prairie du Chien market an extra boost to make it a success.

The idea is simple and powerful: backyard gardens almost always produce more than one household can eat. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, green beans. They pile up every summer. Neighborhood Harvest gives that abundance a purpose.

How it works: Residents donate excess produce from their own home gardens. That produce is sold at the weekly market, increasing the supply of fresh local food and reinvesting proceeds back into the program and the market. Any unsold produce is donated to the local food pantry. Nothing goes to waste.

By increasing the amount of locally grown produce available at the market, Neighborhood Harvest helps strengthen local food access, reduce waste, and connect neighbors through a shared investment in community well-being.

Experienced gardeners and beginners alike are welcome. If you want to grow a little extra this year with your neighbors in mind, this is how to do it. Plant starts and seeds are also available at the market for anyone interested in participating.

Get Involved

Gardeners and volunteers: Sign up to participate in Neighborhood Harvest at https://forms.gle/w7kcVAuryuZk3ZZ68 or contact Crawford County Extension's Sara Tedeschi at sara.tedeschi@wisc.edu / 608-326-1134.

Market visitors: Look for the Neighborhood Harvest table at the Prairie du Chien Farmers Market this summer and know that your SNAP card is welcome.

Questions about DDI's role in these programs? Reach out directly.