For the City Budget has cut $50,000 of Fresh Bucks in the 2016 budget and we need your help to get it back! (Fresh Bucks is a program that provides a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $10 per EBT user, per market, per day.
We are asking for you or your organization to support Fresh Bucks funding. Letter is below prepared by are Food Access Team. We will be presenting this letter at the next Public Hearing (Tomorrow Tuesday October 20th at 5:30pm at City Hall). Please email me (tammy@gotgreen.org) with your or your organization name, address and phone number to sign the letter and support Fresh Bucks by tomorrow Tuesday Oct 20th 11am. It only takes 10 seconds, but your support will help thousands of people access fresh fruits and vegetables in 2016.
Letter:
October 7, 2015
Seattle City Council
600 4th Ave,
Seattle, WA 98104
Dear: City of Seattle Council;
Thank you for your past support of the Fresh Bucks Program. Funding from the City of Seattle has made the $10 match at possible at all of our farmers markets and is a pivotal step toward achieving food security for everyone in Seattle. We are grateful for your continued underwriting since 2014, when private funding for the pilot ended.
This is why we urge you to maintain the proposed Office of Sustainability & Environment 2016 budget of $200K for the Fresh Bucks Program. Fresh Bucks qualifies for a federal dollar-for-dollar matching fund—the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant. If you cut $50K from the budget, it would effectively mean a total $100K loss to the Fresh Bucks Program.
Fresh Bucks Program is vital to expanding access to healthy foods;
creating a sustainable, local food system; and stimulating economic activity.
In 2014, approximately 4,000 low-income constituents used their SNAP cards at Seattle farmers markets. These transactions totaled over $145,400, plus an additional $99,700 of matching Fresh Bucks funds redeemed by these families. Every $5 of SNAP or Fresh Bucks spent at local farmers markets generates $9 in our local economy. In 2014 alone, these combined programs generated $441,180—nearly double the original funds.
The Fresh Bucks Program is integral in our work to bridge the food security gap so that everyone has access to healthy, affordable, and local food. It also keeps our wealth in our communities and helps use resources more sustainably. Fresh Bucks ensures that dollars are spent on local, healthful foods from small Washington farms and producers.
The most important consideration is the impact that Fresh Bucks has on people in our community.
There are countless others who benefit, but not everyone has time to write a letter or come to a Council meeting to voice their support. Below are signatures from individuals and organizations that represent thousands of community members and Fresh Bucks users.
As the cost of living rises in our rapidly growing city, this crucial and multiplicative program should not be diminished but fortified! Sustain your support with $200K in the 2016 budget for the Fresh Bucks Program.
Sincerely,
Got Green Food Access Team