Lacey Wallace, manager of the extension office's High Obesity Program, loads food-bearing plants into a customer's vehicle. (Cathy Spaulding)
Tokens aid eligible shoppers
OSU extension office offers farmers market SNAP benefits Story by Emily Every
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eneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are eligible to double their purchasing power at farmers markets under the Double Up Oklahoma program. Area Coordinators Virginia Stanley and Susie West at the Muskogee OSU Extension Office are
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excited to highlight the possibilities of the program. With Double Up, a $20 grocery haul can become a $40 haul with no additional steps — just purchase farmers' market tokens using SNAP. It’s a pretty simple system. The extension’s booth at the farmers' market will match up to $20 worth of tokens. For example, someone spending $10 would be matched for $10, and someone spending $30 would be matched for $20 worth of tokens. The extension office will have a marked booth at the farmer’s market that lets shoppers know they process SNAP benefits. “People can really stretch their food budget and double up on the amount of produce they’re getting,” West said.
