By Andrew Vogler
LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received grants from the Walmart Foundation, $250,000, and the Alice L. Walton Foundation, $100,000, to support the Northwest Arkansas (NWA) Farmers’ Market Alliance’s Double Your Dollars program, an initiative that provides residents access to affordable, healthy foods at farmers markets.
Created in 2012 to address food insecurity of low-income residents in Northwest Arkansas, the Double Your Dollars program provides recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) vouchers with one-to-one dollar matched tokens for purchasing healthy, locally grown food at participating farmers markets. In 2020, the program was expanded to accept Pandemic SNAP assistance.
“Increasing access to healthier food is critical for the well-being of communities,” said Rachel Spencer, senior manager of strategic initiatives at Walmart.org. “The Double Your Dollars program helps connect people with the nutritious foods they need to thrive, and we’re excited to support this program.”
