Families Double Up on Fruits and Vegetables at Local Farmers Markets
Date: 05/21/18
Sunflower Health Plan sponsors Double Up Food Bucks program for low-income families
May 21, 2018 (Wichita, Kan.) – Sunflower Health Plan is sponsoring the Double Up Food Bucks program at farmers markets throughout the Wichita area, making nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables more accessible to families in need. The program is offered at the Kansas Grown! Farmers Markets in Wichita and Derby, Old Town Farmers Market, and Common Ground Producers and Growers Mobile Market.
Available now for the 2018 farmers market season, Double Up Food Bucks is a food incentive program that helps low-income families eat healthier while supporting local farmers. Through the program, families that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) can receive up to $25 in tokens per day for each dollar spent with their EBT card on SNAP-eligible items at the market. They can then use those Double Up Food Buck tokens to buy additional fresh fruits and vegetables on top of their initial purchases.
“We are pleased to be a part of a program that helps low-income families stretch their food dollars while also supporting our local food producers,” said Chris Coffey, president and CEO of Sunflower Health Plan. “The farmers market is a family-friendly place where people can connect to explore new foods, learn new recipes, and discover a love for eating fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Sunflower Health Plan will be at the Kansas Grown! Farmers Market in the Wichita area periodically this season to provide information about maintaining a healthy diet, giveaways for adults and children, and other healthy resources, as well as visits from Sunny the Sunflower mascot. For Sunflower Health Plan members, the health plan will also have $10 produce vouchers and onsite experts to help them access services.
Other Double Up Food Bucks sponsors include Health & Wellness Coalition of Wichita, USDA, and YMCA. The Wichita farmers market season runs through October 27.
Media Contacts
Shannon Uehling
Sunflower Health Plan
913-401-4015
suehling@sunflowerhealthplan.com