About Us
Farmers Market Fund is excited to offer the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program in Oregon!
Adapted from the Fair Food Network’s national model, DUFB makes it easy for low-income Oregonians to eat more fruits and vegetables while supporting family farmers and local economies. Double Up is Oregon’s first statewide incentive program, designed to be convenient for shoppers. The program doubles the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at local farmers markets so shoppers can bring home more fresh fruits and vegetables. Double Up Food Bucks will be offered at more than 75 farmers markets across the state in 2022. The program also provides incentives for SNAP participants purchasing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares from Oregon farms, and shoppers as several independently-owned rural grocery stores.
Please help us support Double Up Food Bucks! With one in eight Oregonians experiencing food insecurity, programs that increase access to healthy, locally- grown fruits and vegetables are more important than ever.
Press
Local Farmers Markets Help Address Growing Hunger Crisis, The Oregonian
Black Futures Farm gives back to the community through ‘Double Up Food Bucks’ program, KGW8
Report: Produce prescriptions, financial incentives, Successful Farming
Farmers Market Fund receives $1.5 million for SNAP Double Up Food Bucks program, Lincoln City News Guard
Double Up Food Bucks: Coalition expands reach to fight hunger, Portland Observer
Video
Our History
A coalition of neighbors in NE Portland partnered with the Portland Farmers Market to establish Fresh Exchange in 2009, a program which enabled shoppers at the King Farmers Market to double their SNAP dollars so they could bring home more local fruits and vegetables.This program was extremely successful, and later expanded to all Portland Farmers Market neighborhood locations. Farmers Market Fund (FMF) was created as a companion 501 (c) 3 organization to Portland Farmers Market in 2012 and subsequently took over the administration of the Fresh Exchange SNAP incentive program.
In 2015 FMF received a USDA grant, allowing the organization to dramatically scale-up its SNAP incentive program from a Portland-area effort to a statewide program. FMF created a singular branded program called Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), increased the dollar-for-dollar incentive match amount to up to $10 per market visit, expanded the number of participating farmers markets, and boosted data collection, analysis, and feedback loops. Extremely successful, the program impacted the health of tens of thousands of low income Oregonians who purchased fresh food at 53 farmers markets and 31 farm share sites in 16 Oregon counties.
In 2019 the Oregon State Legislature made an appropriation of $1.5 million in one-time funds to Farmers Market Fund, in support of the expansion of Double Up Food Bucks over the biennium. This is the first time the state has made an investment in the program, and will enable its expansion to farmers markets across the state, as well as farm share sites and several grocery stores.
The following year, in 2020, FMF applied for and received a federal GusNIP grant and a GusCRR (COVID Relief) grant. These two grants have supported the expansion of the Double Up Food Bucks program to more farmers markets across the state of Oregon than ever before, as well as an increase in dollar-for-dollar incentive match amount to up to $20 per market visit beginning in 2021.
Now in 2023, Farmers Market Fund and our partners continue to support the Double Up Food Bucks program at over 85 individual farmers market sites, 21 grocery stores, and 40+ farms across the state of Oregon.
Thank You, Funders!
Farmers Market Fund deeply appreciates the gifts of so many. Our foundation and corporate sponsors allowed us to grow into a thriving statewide organization serving thousands of low income community members with healthy food and supporting local farmers and food producers too.
If you or your organization would like to join our cause against hunger, please contact Rachael Ward at rachael@farmersmarketfund.org or call her at 503.241.0032.
Double Up Food Bucks Oregon is also supported by the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Grant Program number 2020-70030-33183 / 1024374 and 2022-70415-38570 / 1029309 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Covid Relief & Response Grant Program number 2021-70034-35369 / 1027071.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Partners
Double Up Food Bucks Oregon is made possible with support from our partners the Oregon Food Bank, Oregon Farmers Markets Association, & Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition. Thank you!
