submitted by Ruth VanBogelen, Acorn Farmers Market Board

May 7th Acorn Farmers Market will reopen to sell a good variety of food items to prepare healthy meals at home. For safety reasons, the market will operate curbside only. No customers will come into the store. While curbside is a different way of shopping for food (produce, meat, eggs, bread, etc.), we hope you will find the ordering, payment, and pick up systems easy and flexible.

Acorn Farmers Market is located at 327 W. Main Street in Manchester and is open Thursdays and Fridays from 3 – 6 pm and Saturdays 10 am – 4 pm. We’ll have lots of locally grown or produced food, but will also carry additional Michigan made products and some food items grown in other states and countries. The selection of food will vary somewhat week to week and even day to day, especially for produce (vegetables and fruits) when vendors deliver their products.

Where to find lists of food items available:

Starting May 4th the list of food items will be available four ways: Inventory lists will be available 24/7.

1. online at https://app.barn2door.com/e/QBJmQ/all
2. on our website www.acornfarmersmarketcafe.org
3. paper copies will be posted in the window at the store.
4. email us at orders@acornfarmersmarketcafe.org and we’ll email you the list.

Three ways to order:

1. Online Orders. Go to https://app.barn2door.com/e/QBJmQ/all to search, view and select food items. A description and price are provided. Our online store will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To add food to your cart, you will be asked to choose Thursday, Friday, or Saturday pickup. Online ordering will close at 8 am on the day of pickup. For example, to pick up on Friday from 3-6 pm, order by 8 am on Friday morning.
2. Order by Phone – during open market hours only. Call 734-428-7872 when you are ready to place an order or if you have questions. Acorn staff will take order and your contact info, give you an approximate total, and set up a pickup time.
3. Walk-up Orders – during open market hours only. At the store, 327 W. Main St., use the doorbell intercom under the “Order and Pick up Here” sign to tell us what you would like to purchase. We will need 10-20 minutes to pack up your order. When it’s ready we will call you or signal from the pickup window.

How to pay for your order:

Offering curbside service is the safest method for our customers and our staff. However, this method requires more staff. We are grateful to customers who select to donate $2 as a handling fee and/or to add the credit card fees to your order.

1. Credit and debit cards. Prepayment of your order is the preferred method of payment. This can be done using the online system or over the phone. The credit card machine will be available at pick-up if needed.
2. Personal checks. Checks will be accepted for the exact amount. Your phone number needs to be on the check, and you’ll need to show identification when picking up the order.
3. Community Resource Center Wooden Nickel Program. To use Community Resource Center wooden nickel tokens, just give us your name and food pantry shopping card # when you order and indicate that method of payment. All previous program rules still apply. If you are not familiar with the CRC’s Wooden Nickel token program, please contact them at 734-428-7722 for details. If you are ordering online, select Cash as the payment option to use the tokens during pick up.
4. SNAP (EBT cards). We have applied to accept SNAP cards and expect by mid to late May, we’ll be able to accept this type of payment. To pay with a SNAP card, you’ll pay when you pick up your order. If you are ordering online, select Cash as the payment method. The payment device will be at the Order and Pick up Window, but we can also take the card number over the phone. Reminder that there are rules about what food items can be purchased with SNAP cards.
5. Cash. We prefer NOT to take cash, but if this is your payment choice, no coin change will be provided (order amount will be rounded up), and we may not have enough bills to make change

Picking up orders:

The west door of the store has a sign “Orders and Pick Up Here.” Remember to keep 6 feet between you and other customers in line to pick up and follow other State requirements (e.g., wearing masks). When you are at the door, tell us your name. If payment has not been taken, we’ll complete the payment with you. Then we will slide your order out on a cart. Remove your order from the cart. You will not be allowed to take the cart to your car.

1. If you order online you can select the pick up day. When your order is ready, we will send you a text or phone call to arrange a pick up time.
2. If you phone in your order we’ll arrange a pick up time with you during that call.
3. If you walk up and order we’ll need 10-20 minutes to fill your order.

In special cases for people who are sick or unable to leave their home, we will make every attempt to deliver your order to you. We will be relying on volunteers to do deliveries.

Contact us at orders@acornfarmersmarketcafe.org if you have questions or problems ordering or call us during normal business orders at 734-428-7872.