Farmers’ Market Now Accepts SNAP, Outreach to Leesburg’s Latinos Begins

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As part of a community effort to combat obesity, in May 2014 the Leesburg Farmers Market in Leesburg, Virginia began accepting Supplemental Nutritious Assistance Program (SNAP), dollars for purchases of fresh produce.

It’s the first farmers’ market in the county to accept SNAP benefits.

Customers using SNAP at the market also will receive Double Dollars, meaning for every $10 spent at the market, they will get an additional $10 toward their purchase. The Northern Virginia chapter of healthy food resource Buy Fresh Buy Local, sponsored by Inova Health Systems, is contributing $1,500 for that effort and fundraising efforts are ongoing to help sustain the matching program.

To get the community to the market, county health officials are arranging transportation to the farmers’ markets from folks homes. To reach out to the Hispanic population, which makes up a large percent of the low-income families in Loudoun according to the county health department, healthy living advocates from the health department plan to visit area Spanish speaking churches to talk about the new opportunities at the local farmers’ market and to better connect with residents.

Read more here.