Food-assistance recipients get incentive to buy fresh produce at three Kalamazoo farmers markets

May 23, 2011 |  

By Chris Fusciardi

KALAMAZOO — Holders of state food-assistance cards will be able to get quite a bang for their buck at three Kalamazoo  area farmers markets this sum mer as part of the Double Up Food Bucks initiative.

The initiative, created by the Ann Arbor-based non profit Fair Food Network in 2009, provides state Bridge Card holders with $2 worth of farmers-market tokens for every $2 they spend, up to $20. It is designed to encour age healthier eating habits and greater access to fresh fruit and vegetables for families eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The program, which began at Detroit’s Eastern Market and has expanded to 42 sites across Michigan, has provided low-in come families with healthy food options while also supporting farmers. From August to Oc tober 2010, families across the state used their Bridge Cards and matching DUFB tokens to purchase more than $200,000 worth of locally grown pro duce from more than a dozen farmers markets, according to a news release announcing the program.

“Hopefully, there will be a lot more people able to spend their food dollars on local food,” said Rachel Chadderdon, program manager at Fair Food Network, about the program’s start in Kalamazoo.

Chadderdon said Depart ment of Human Services fig ures showed more than 50,000 people in Kalamazoo County were participating in SNAP as of earlier this year.

“There is pretty obviously a community need for food assistance,” said Paul Stermer, executive director of the Kalamazoo-based nonprofit Fair Food Matters. “I’m sure that is true all over the state and all over the country, but we are especially aware of it around Kalamazoo.”

Fair Food Network is providing the funding for the program, and Fair Food Matters and the People’s Food Co-op of Kalamazoo will implement it with volunteers or staff at each market handing out DUFB tokens.

Chadderdon noted roughly $2 billion of federal food assistance comes into Michigan every year. If just a small percentage of that were spent at farmers markets “that would be huge for them,” she said.

“It’s really a triple benefit with the program,” Stermer said. “It helps people eligible for SNAP benefits get a little extra food for their families, it helps ensure those people are getting good, fresh, healthy food, and ... since these benefits are used for Michigan products, all the people involved are helping support those growing food in Michigan.”

This article originally appeared on mLive.com. Original article available here.

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