MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SPEAKER QUINN ANNOUNCE THAT, FOR FIRST TIME EVER, ALL OF CITY'S FARMERS MARKETS WILL MAKE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MORE AFFORDABLE FOR LOW-INCOME NEW YORKERS

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138 Farmers MarketsThroughout Five Boroughs Will Accept Health Bucks, Which Give Food StampParticipants Extra $2 Toward Fruits and Vegetables For Every $5 Spent 
 
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Mayor Michael R.Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Deputy Mayor for Health andHuman Services Linda I. Gibbs, Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley and HumanResources Administration Commissioner Robert Doar announced today that, as partof the city-wide effort to fight the obesity epidemic, the City is increasingefforts to improve access to healthy eating. 
 
To support the healthy food purchasing power of food-stamp participants, theHealth Department and Human Resources Administration this year has more thandoubled farmers markets participating in the Health Bucks program. Health Bucksare $2 coupons good for fresh produce at farmers markets. This year, all 138markets (up from last year’s 65) will accept Health Bucks and the 125 of thosemarkets that accept Food stamps/ EBT will also distribute the coupons asincentives. For each $5 of food stamps that a customer spends at farmers’markets, they will receive one Health Buck coupon worth $2 for fresh fruits andvegetables at any farmers market. (Additional coupons at 18 of these marketsare also being made available through the New York State Fresh Connect Programand Wholesome Wave foundation funding.) The program, which is the largestmunicipal farmers market incentive program in the country, runs from July 1through November 15.
 
A limited supply of coupons will also be available through community organizationslocated in Health Department District Public Health Office neighborhoods in theSouth Bronx, North and Central Brooklyn, and East and Central Harlem. Theseorganizations service neighborhoods that have high rates of poverty and chronicillness, as well as low consumption rates for fresh fruits and vegetables.Organizations in these neighborhoods may apply to distribute Health Bucks aspart of their nutrition programming.
  
Additionally, Stellar Farmers Markets, a nutrition education program atfarmers markets that provides Food stamp eligible New Yorkers with theknowledge, skills and resources for a healthier diet, will be at 18 marketsthis year. The program offers practical, cost-effective tips for eating morefruits and vegetables through onsite nutrition education and cookingdemonstrations using produce purchased that day at the market, and last yearreached more than 37,000 people. Each market day, Stellar Farmers Markets holds5 nutrition workshops and cooking demonstrations and provides a $2 Health Buckscoupon for all participants.