Farmers Market Coalition

The Double Value Coupon Program at farmers’ markets and other direct-to-consumer sales outlets affects a triple bottom line. It is the first of Wholesome Wave Foundation’s “Nourishing Neighborhoods” campaign initiatives. Vulnerable community members including families, their children and seniors who participate in the program can use their SNAP (Food Stamp) electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program vouchers, and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program checks at participating farmers’ markets.

The program will double these hunger relief benefits when recipients use them to purchase healthful, locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets in or near their neighborhoods. The Double Value Coupon Program:

• Nourishes neighborhoods in rural and underserved urban communities by increasing access to affordable, healthy food in low-income areas and potentially reducing exploding health care costs while providing support for small scale farmers and producers.
• Nourishes our economy by bringing new dollars to farmers and producers selling at local farmers markets and keeping Federal and foundation dollars in the local community.
• Benefits the environment by reducing average “food miles” traveled, and valuing local production and sustainable farming.

Participating partner organizations include:

Appalachian Sustainable Development (Abingdon, Virginia)

Fair Food Network (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Fresh Farm Markets (Washington, DC)

Farm Fresh Rhode Island (Providence, RI)

Georgia Organics (Atlanta, Georgia)

International Rescue Committee (San Diego, California)

Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (Burlington, Vermont)

Nuestras Raices (Holyoke, Massachusetts)

With seed funding from the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation, and local fundraising and ongoing support from partners such as FOOD & WINE Magazine’s Grow for Good Campaign, Newman’s Own Foundation and anonymous major donors, farmers’ markets in Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington DC, and San Diego are participating in the Double Value Coupon Program.

To find out more about who supports the “Nourishing Neighborhoods” campaign and the Wholesome Wave Foundation, click here.

Tags: double value coupon program, wholesome wave foundation