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Fresh food at a Northwest Arkansas farmers market.
Nearly 300 Women and Children Benefit from Expanded Double Your Dollars Program in Northwest Arkansas
| Nearly 300 women and children received discounted produce from farmers markets in Northwest Arkansas in the month after the Double Your Dollars program expanded its eligibility to WIC recipients.
Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SrFMNP), and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits can receive a dollar-for-dollar match on locally grown produce at select Northwest Arkansas farmers markets. This is the first year that the match program is available to WIC recipients.
The Double Your Dollars program is supported by funding from the Walmart Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.
“We are so excited to see the WIC program benefit moms and children through our partnership with Northwest Arkansas farmers markets,” said Hannah Dial, a project manager at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation. “By providing a dollar-to-dollar match to WIC recipients, we’re able to provide healthier options for these families at half the price.”
The institute has managed the Double Your Dollars program since 2020 in Washington and Benton counties, supplying discount dollars to shoppers in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Gravette, Goshen, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale. This summer, the institute also added Eureka Springs Farmers Market, extending the program into Carroll County.
“Each year, the number of people served through Double Your Dollars continues to grow,” Dial said. “By adding WIC recipients and new markets in Carroll County, we’re offering new ways for individuals across Northwest Arkansas to have access to local foods and feel empowered to make healthier choices.”
SNAP, SrFMNP and WIC recipients can participate in Double Your Dollars by visiting the information booth at one of the participating farmers markets to receive vouchers that are applied at purchase. The vouchers can be used to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, baked goods, value-added grocery items and food-producing seeds and plants. Hot foods, alcohol, tobacco products, non-edible flowers, arts and crafts items, and pet foods are not eligible for purchase through the Double Your Dollars program.
The institute also works with participating markets to host cooking demonstrations — using fresh, in-season produce available at the markets — and Kid’s Day events with activities for the whole family.
To learn more about the Double Your Dollars program, visit linktr.ee/nwafarmersmarketalliance.
To learn more about the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, visit communityhealth.uams.edu.