Six local farmers’ markets are now participating in a new program that will provide incentives to our consumers who use their food assistance card to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables.
Healthy eating is important. Too often, people living on a tight budget must choose cheaper foods, foregoing fruits and vegetables. This pilot project, called Produce Perks, makes healthy eating more attainable.
Produce Perks are “2 for 1” incentive tokens given to customers at participating farmers’ markets who use their food assistance card. A consumer can swipe their card at one central terminal and ask to withdraw a desired amount. The market provides tokens for the transaction and additional Produce Perks that can be spent on fruits and vegetables. The incentive is a dollar-for-dollar match to every dollar spent (up to $10) using the card.
There is no minimum purchase amount to qualify for the incentives and Produce Perks tokens are usable at all six participating markets: Northside Farmers Market, Lettuce Eat Well Farmers Market, College Hill Farmers Market, Wyoming Farmers Market, and Findlay Market and Findlay Market Farmstand @ Roberts Academy.
The program will run May 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015.
This program supports our local economy and encourages healthy eating. That is a win-win!
