Community Partners Increase Access to Farm Fresh Produce

For Portland Farmers Market, combating food insecurity in our neighborhoods is a community-wide effort. While all of our markets accept SNAP/Oregon Trail benefits in exchange for a variety of fresh food items, our 3 neighborhood markets – King, Lents International, & Kenton – also employ the SNAP matching program, Double Up Food Bucks. This program specifically augments individual buying power by stretching individual SNAP benefits further and increasing access to farm fresh produce.

Double Up Food Bucks is a key initiative in PFM’s mission to support our shoppers: In 2017, we participated in over 2,000 SNAP transactions at our markets. These resulted in over $29,000 in sales for local growers and were matched by almost $24,000 in DUFB!

To sustain this program, we rely heavily on the support from community partners like New Seasons and Regence who on June 27 announced a contribution to Farmers Market Fund towards DUFB. This support provides the funds that go directly to the folks shopping at farmers markets! We are thankful for the invaluable role of our community partners in boosting the health and well-being of our neighborhoods.

With farmers on the receiving-end of this program, local economies are also impacted by programs like DUFB. Watch the video below to learn more about how this program is truly a winning situation for everyone at the farmers market!