July 8, 2019 10:15 a.m. 
Last week a coalition led by the Farmers Market Fund, announced the award of $1.5 million in a state appropriation to expand the SNAP Double Up Food Bucks program.
A release from the Oregon Food Bank said the program helps SNAP participants access fresh fruits and vegetables.  For every dollar spent on SNAP-eligible foods at participating farmers markets, Double Up Food Bucks recipients will now receive an additional dollar to spend on Oregon-grown fruits and vegetables.  Over 600,000 Oregonians, more than a third of whom are children, currently receive SNAP benefits.
The release said that for nearly a decade, Farmers Market Fund has worked to connect SNAP participants with local produce. Additionally, they have partnered with Oregon Food Bank since 2015 to offer DUFB at 53 farmers markets and 31 farm shares across 16 Oregon counties.
According to the release, despite Double Up’s success, SNAP matching programs currently exist in only half of Oregon’s farmers markets. That leaves many farmers markets, especially those in rural areas, without any SNAP incentive program. The appropriation will support the expansion of DUFB to most farmers markets in the state, as well as new farm share sites. The program will also expand into select grocery outlets, allowing for greater access to fresh fruit and vegetables in areas of the state not currently served by farmers markets.
To find out more about the Oregon Food Bank, go to www.oregonfoodbank.org.