Nourish Knoxville is excited to announce all Knoxville farmers’ markets now accept SNAP/P-EBT (formerly known as food stamp) benefits and double SNAP purchases for free fresh fruits and vegetables! In spring of 2022, East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing’s Ebenezer Road Farmers’ Market began accepting SNAP/P-EBT benefits and doubling those dollars with Double Up Food Bucks, giving SNAP customers up to $20 per day in tokens to spend on free, locally grown fruits and vegetables. The Ebenezer Road Farmers’ Market joins Nourish Knoxville’s Market Square, New Harvest, and Winter Farmers’ Markets and National Women in Agriculture’s Eastside Sunday Market in Double Up Food Bucks, making it possible for SNAP and P-EBT recipients to shop at any Knoxville farmers’ market and receive free produce!
How DOUBLE UP Works: Customers who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can swipe their EBT or P-EBT cards at the market to match up to $20 per day in Double Up tokens to be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. For instance, a family that spends $10 in their SNAP benefits receives an additional $10 in Double Up tokens to spend at the market for free fresh produce. Double Up is a triple win: low-income families eat more healthy food, area farmers gain new customers and increase revenue, and more food dollars stay in the local economy.
How DOUBLE UP Started: In 2009, the nonprofit Fair Food Network (FFN) launched Double Up in Michigan to help low-income families eat more fruits and vegetables while supporting American farmers and growing local economies. In 2019, Nourish Knoxville, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate healthy communities by supporting relationships between local farmers, producers, and the public, joined the FFN and 20 states nationwide to bring Double Up to East Tennessee. Across the region, we now have 14 participating farmers’ markets, 1 grocery store, and 1 farm store offering Double Up Food Bucks. Double Up tokens received at all locations can be redeemed at any participating farmers’ market or store.
“With Double Up Food Bucks, federal nutrition dollars work harder—simultaneously reducing hunger and supporting healthier diets for SNAP households, while also supporting farmers,” says Charlotte Tolley, Nourish Knoxville Executive Director.
For a complete list of markets and farm stores that participate in Double Up in East Tennessee, visit doubleuptn.org.
This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee. Additional funding for 2022 Double Up is provided by Amerigroup and Kroger.
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