The B.C. government says it is expanding the B.C. Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program to help poor people access healthy, local food.
B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix made the announcement with the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets on Saturday at the opening of the Trout Lake Farmers Market in East Vancouver. He says the government will provide an additional $121,000 on top of the 1.4 million the program has already received for 2019. Last season, the weekly coupon program helped more than 3,900 households in B.C. use coupons at farmers markets to access B.C. grown and produced food.
Dix says that money will go to adding 250 more low income households, or an estimated 700 residents, to the program, many of whom are pregnant or single mothers, and seniors.ticrawford@postmedia.com