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Farmers Markets reach out to low-income residents
The City Heights farmers market is one of three outdoor markets in San Diego County that can process such public assistance funds. This service—bundled with a program that helps people sign up for benefits on site and another that matches their funds once they’ve been approved—has given low-income residents like Sandoval greater access to fresh, organic foods.
For these residents, access to quality produce depends largely on an electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, machine provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The wireless device allows market organizers to charge food stamp EBT cards for tokens that can be exchanged like cash at booths. WIC checks can also be traded for tokens. Farmers then redeem the wooden coins they’ve collected for checks they can take to the bank.
During its first two years, the market brought in only about $100,000 annually, Cochrane said. Since April, more than $80,000 in purchases has already been made, about $12,000 of it in food stamps and other supplemental funds. Cochrane said she credits the recent success to a fund-matching program that stretches customers’ food stipends.
Every client who taps into his or her public assistance money, including Supplemental Security Income for people with disabilities, is guaranteed a match of up to $20 per month through Fresh Fund, a program operated by the International Rescue Committee with support from federal stimulus dollars and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. When a customer spends $5 in food stamps, he or she will actually have $10 to spend that day.http://www.healthycal.org/farmers-markets-reach-out-to-low-income-residents.html-JB