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Original copy:

Double Bucks! United Way of Monroe County and Monroe Farmers Market Fight Hunger with an option to double SNAP Purchases

June 29, 2017

The “Double Bucks” Program is an opportunity for SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) participants to DOUBLE their SNAP dollars spent up to $20 a day at Monroe Farmers Market.  This program allows low-income households an opportunity to provide high-quality nutritious food for their families on limited budgets.  The “Double Bucks” program is an incentive to help increase access and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables while supporting our local farmers.  In Monroe County, only 8% of residents reported eating the recommended daily allowance of 5 fruits/vegetables a day of which the United Way of Monroe County is hoping to positively impact with this initiative. The advantages of the “Double Bucks” Program are three-fold: SNAP participants have access to high-quality nutritious food, local farmers gain new customers, and more dollars stay within our local economy.

“Healthy food is good medicine that ALL people need,” stated Jennifer Strauch who is leading the efforts behind our local Hunger Coalition. “When we work together, we have the ability to impact lives in a meaningful way and the “Double Bucks” Program is just one part of our larger initiative for Fresh Change in our community”

My copy edit:

It’s a SNAP to Double Your Bucks at Monroe Farmers Market  

United Way of Monroe County fights hunger with an option to double SNAP purchases

United Way’s “Double Bucks” Program is an opportunity for SNAP participants to double up to 20 of their SNAP dollars at the Monroe Farmers Market. The program provides an incentive to increase access and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables to families on limited budgets.

 “Healthy food is good medicine that all people need,” says Jennifer Strauch, who leads the effort behind the local Hunger Coalition. In Monroe County, only 8% of residents report eating a recommended 5 fruits and vegetables every day, a percentage which United Way of Monroe County hopes to increase with this initiative.

Advantages of the “Double Bucks” Program are 3-fold:

·            SNAP participants will have access to high-quality nutritious food

·            Local farmers gain new customers

·            More dollars stay in the local economy

“When we work together, we have the ability to impact lives in a meaningful way,” says Strauch.