Food stamp dollar-matching program to expand in 2015

A pilot program that doubled the spending power of food stamp recipients at Lawrence farmers’ markets had a successful debut and will expand to more markets next year, organizers said Wednesday.

At its Wednesday meeting, the Douglas County Commission heard a report from Eileen Horn, the sustainability coordinator for the county and the city of Lawrence, on Market Match’s pilot program, which ran from June to December.

The program essentially doubled the value of food stamp dollars spent at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market and Cottin’s Hardware Farmers Market to make healthy and locally produced food more accessible to low-income individuals.

For example, if an individual receiving food stamps — officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — made a $20 purchase at one of those farmers’ markets, only half of the cost came out of the SNAP account. Market Match covered the other half.

The program matches food stamp dollars up to $25.

Horn said approximately 120 people took advantage of the program at least once, spending an average of $17.88 per shopping trip and affecting 100 vendors. Horn estimated all the shopping activity generated an economic impact of about $32,000.

Horn said 83 percent of vendors surveyed said they saw an increase of SNAP customers, while 100 percent said the Market Match program positively affected their business. She said 62 percent of participants indicated their consumption of fruit and vegetables increased as a result of the program.

The pilot program was funded primarily by the city of Lawrence and Douglas County, at $10,600 apiece, with another $3,800 from LiveWell Lawrence, which first pitched the idea of Market Match.

Next year, the program will have more resources. The city will contribute $10,000; the Kansas Health Foundation $15,000; and the Topeka Community Foundation another $8,000. Horn said the plan is for Market Match to expand to other farmers’ markets in Lawrence, Eudora and Baldwin City.

In 2015, the program will run from April through December, “the whole market season,” Horn said. She said the program hopes to work with the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Just Food, the Douglas County food bank, to increase awareness of the project.

“We look forward to coming back with even more impressive numbers next year,” Horn said.