POP Club for Kids
POP Club: The Power of Produce
Enroll your kids in POP Club, and they get $3 every week to spend at the Market on any fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants that they want to buy. It’s free for all children between 5 and 12 years old.
It turns them into shoppers, savers and cooks!
One dad said his son saves his POP Bucks from week to week, and “he’s not usually a saver!”
POP Club empowers kids to make healthy food choices and learn where their food comes from. And it makes the Market a fun experience for them (and you!).
They can use their POP Bucks to buy old favorites, or try something new each week. They can also buy plants to learn about gardening.
“It’s an opportunity to participate in the farmers' market in a way she wouldn’t otherwise. It lets her make independent decisions about what to buy.”
— Mom of an 11-year old
“It gets him down here buying vegetables. He loves it.”
— Dad of a POP Club kid
Goals of POP Club
Increase family participation at our Market
Empower children to explore healthy food options and a healthy lifestyle
Support local farmers
We started POP Club in the 2023 season and it was very successful. We thought we might get 30 kids participating each week, but the average was 67! Comments from parents and kids told us that we did meet our goals, and we’re planning to do it again in 2024.
How it works
Enroll your child by filling out the form below, or at the Manager’s Tent at the Market. Enrollment starts in May, 2024.
You and your child check in at the Manager’s Tent on any Market day and have your child’s POP Club Passport stamped.
Your child gets $3 to spend on any fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants they want. Or, your child may save certificates to spend later.
POP Club not meant as a way to buy green beans for the whole family. It’s meant for kids to buy something for themselves, whether it’s an old favorite or something new (and maybe they’ll share it with everyone!).
POP Bucks expire at the end of each season (October).
“It’s really cool. They come up and they’re really proud to have the POP Bucks to spend. They work out how much they can buy with what they have.”
— A produce vendor at our Market
POP Club Activity Days
On the last Thursday of each month, we’ll have fun POP Club activities (we’ll sneak in a little education as well). Activities will include topics like where and how food grows, planting seeds to watch them grow into plants.
Each POP Club activity day includes a short Move It! session to highlight the importance of movement, along with healthy eating choices. Kids who participate will get an extra $1 POP Club certificate!
“I tried garlic scapes. It wasn’t my favorite thing, but I still liked them.”
— An 11-year old POP Club kid
We couldn’t do this alone
POP Club is a nationally-recognized kids program started at the Oregon City Farmers Market in 2011. We’re grateful to them, to the Farmers Market Coalition, and to the other markets we learned from as we planned this program.
Thanks, too, to our local sponsors, who donated money specifically to make this program work in 2023:
Belmont Youth Activities and DARE
Enroll your child now!
Fill out this form, and will create a POP Club Passport that you can sign the first time you bring your child to the Market. Or stop at the Manager’s Tent and fill out the form during the season. The first 50 kids to sign up get a reusable bag with BFM and POP Club logos.
Please read this before enrolling your child:
Parents must supervise their children at all times at the Market.
There’s always healthy, local produce at the Market, but there’s more and more variety as the season goes on.
If your child has food allergies, please be aware of what your child buys, and during any sampling and demonstrations.
Kids can use POP Bucks to buy fruits, vegetables and food-producing plants.
POP Bucks must be used during the season you get them. The 2024 season runs from June 6 to October 31.