POP Club at the Hardin County Farmers’ Market returned for 2021, and again in 2022, after a year break due to COVID. 

In 2021, POP Club was able to occur 4 times, and saw more than 350 youth during those 4 sessions. 83% of youth tried a new fruit or vegetable, and 98% of the youth completed an agricultural related activity. More than $1,200 was given out in POP Bucks and therefore invested back into the Hardin County Farmers Market and our local vendors. This allowed youth in Hardin County to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, homemade breads, meats, or more from our market. 

POP Club is a partnership between the FCS program, the Hardin County Farmers Market board, and many community sponsors. In 2021, we had 3 new sponsors for POP Club.
Youth continue to return year after year and show knowledge retention, and report putting knowledge and skills used into place. In addition, most report continuing to eat more fruits and vegetables at home, especially ones purchased from the market.

POP Club has returned for 2022 with its first session occurring this program year. A typical Wednesday POP Club session averages between 40 and 75 youth in attendance, and our first 2022 session had 96 participants. We are looking forward to seeing how many more youth attend the remaining 6 POP Club sessions this year!