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Douglas County

Double Up Food Bucks: Increasing Fruit & Vegetable Intake for Low-Resource Families

Logo for the Double Up Food Bucks program. It is the shape of an apple.Farmers market table with a wide-range of vegetables for purchase

 

Consuming more fruits and vegetables is something we all should get behind, and farmers' markets are a great place to get fresh and in-season fruits and vegetables while simultaneously supporting our local economy and food systems. Many may think that shopping at farmers' markets is too expensive and is not an option for households with a limited food budget. However, the Double Up Food Bucks Program breaks down barriers that may be keeping limited resource families from shopping at farmers' markets.   

Double Up Food Bucks is a program that doubles the value of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits (formerly known as food stamps) up to $25 per day at participating farmer's markets for fresh, local fruits and vegetables. This win-win program helps local farmers sell more produce and allows the consumer to purchase more healthy food for their family.  

To double their SNAP dollars, SNAP recipients swipe their EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card (a debit card loaded with SNAP funds) at a participating farmer's markets. After they swipe their EBT card, they are given SNAP tokens to use for any SNAP-eligible items and up to $25/day of Double Up Food Bucks tokens to buy produce.   

Participants in this program can use their tokens on that day or save them for another day during that season. Currently, there are two farmers markets in Douglas County that participate in Double Up Food Bucks, Lawrence Farmers Market and Cottin's Hardware Farmers Market.  

LiveWell Douglas County has been awarded the BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas (BCBSKS) Pathways grant to support several projects to improve Douglas County residents' health, including Double Up Food Bucks. K-State Research and Extension – Douglas County (KSRE Douglas County) is spearheading this grant and collaborating with LiveWell Douglas County Healthy Food for All, Lawrence Farmers Market, and Cottin's Hardware Farmers Market.  

These funds will be used to increase DUFB usage and to host a series of "Triple Up Days." Triple Up Days will allow participants to triple their SNAP dollars to use for fresh fruits and vegetables. That can be an additional $50!  

Double Up Food Bucks with "Triple Up Days" is a win-win for SNAP Families, local farmers, and the Douglas County economy. The farmer’s market season is around the corner. Please help support our initiative by spreading the word and shopping at farmer’s markets to get more local produce into the hands of our neighbors.  

Current DUFB Farmers Markets:    

Lawrence Farmers Market   

  • Saturday Market    
  • 2021 Season: April 10th – November 20th   
  • Saturday 7:30 AM – 11:30 AM   
  • 824 New Hampshire Street (Parking Lot)   
  • Tuesday Market    
  • 2021 Season: (May 4th – October 26th):   

Cottin's Farmers Market   

  • Indoor Market: Thursdays October - April from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm