Nutrition assistance programs are ensuring fresh produce items at the farmers markets are accessible for everyone.
Double Up Food Bucks, Missouri Women, Infants and Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (WIC) and the Missouri Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program provide financial assistance to people of all ages to promote healthy eating and support local farmers.
Benefits are accessible for eligible foods from authorized farmers at farmers markets and roadside stands around Springfield and Greene County.
Double Up Food Bucks allows SNAP members to double their dollars
Double Up, a national program administered locally by the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) users to double their tokens to spend on produce at three Springfield farmers markets.
Double Up Food Bucks are accessible at the C-Street Market, the Farmers Market of the Ozarks and the Greater Springfield Farmers Market.
SNAP users can access their tokens by exchanging EBT card benefits at a market hub at each market, where they may also receive an equal amount of Double Up tokens, up to $25.
Double Up, which is funded through a USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant, was founded through the Fair Food Network in Detroit in 2009 and has since grown to be offered in over 25 states and 900 locations, according to its website.
More information on Double Up in Springfield can be found here and SNAP can be applied for here.
Springfield-Greene County Health Department encourages use of WIC benefits at farmers markets
The Women, Infants and Children program provides supplemental food and nutrition education, in addition to other services to eligible pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to 5 years of age.
The national program is funded by the USDA and administered through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. A joint effort between WIC and the Springfield-Greene County Health Department offers $20 per person annually to WIC members, to be used on eligible foods at participating farmers’ markets and roadside stands.
Eligible markets and vendors in Greene County can be found here. WIC eligibility can be determined on the health department’s website.
Eligible seniors can receive annual benefits for fruit, vegetables, honey and herbs
In a select number of counties in Missouri, including Greene County, eligible, low-income seniors 60 years of age or older can receive $50 in benefits annually through the Missouri Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, to be used for fresh fruit, vegetables, honey and herbs. A list of specific eligible foods are available here.
To qualify, eligible seniors must provide age, income and residency verification. Eligibility requirements and additional information is available on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s website.