GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The program that allows people using food assistance benefits to double their purchasing power for Michigan-grown produce is seeing growing success at farmers markets statewide, vendors said Saturday, June 23.
The "Double Up Food Bucks" initiative started in Detroit in 2009 as a way to get Bridge Card holders access to cheaper, fresher produce. Those with cards can get a dollar-for-dollar match up to $20 for locally grown produce during a single trip to the farmers market.
Double Up has been a godsend, said Chris Mayweather, a Grand Rapids resident and Bridge Card holder.
"You get fresh produce, and then you get more for your money," Mayweather said. "Even in something as common as apples there's a difference in taste and freshness when you get it from [a farmers market] as opposed to a grocery store."
Since 2009, the program has expanded to nearly 150 Michigan farmers markets and farm stands and 23 other states. According to the Fair Food Network, Double Up Food Bucks has helped more than 300,000 low-income families with increased access to produce.
"It allows our farmers to see that increased economic activity, and it also allows our Bridge users to have increased food access," said Dana Eardley, operations coordinator at the Fulton Street Farmers Market. "And we're really passionate here at the market to have a community of people who are able to access produce with ease."
More market managers reach out every year to get involved with Double Up, said Joe Lesausky, food access manager at the Michigan Farmers Market Association.
With easier access to produce, more families are coming to the markets and getting kids excited about eating healthy, said Ava Grover, who co-leads the Bryon Center Farmers Market.
"Vegetables coming right out of the garden are so much better tasting [and] can replace that hamburger or those French fries," Grover said. "The kids will have a better diet with it, and I think it's just a win-win."
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