By Laurie James

Double Up Food Bucks doubles SNAP benefits for fresh produce in Dallas, Lake Worth & Saginaw

What comes to mind when you think of “farmers markets?” Ripe seasonal produce, locally produced honey and jams, specialty baked goods, coffee, flowers, and fresh eggs? While local farmers markets can have a direct positive impact on your weekend morning, they also make a huge impact on our broader community and economy. So much so that the U.S. Department of Agriculture proclaims one week a year in August – August 6-12 this year, to be exact – as National Farmers Market Week.

A MELON REASONS TO LOVE SUMMER AT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

A new relationship between the 6 Stones New Hope Center and North Texas Healthy Communities’ Good For You Pantry program means Hurst-Euless-Bedford residents in need will have even greater access to produce and healthy foods—even while the Euless nonprofit builds a new facility to better serve the community. The partnership enhances 6 Stones efforts to provide emergency food and other resources by supplying the nonprofit’s pantry with fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy items, which are now available through walk-in and drive-thru food distribution services.

Fresh produce is good; more fresh produce is better! Residents living in and around Fort Worth’s 76119 ZIP code now have more access to healthy, fresh produce with the opening of a Good For You Pantry at Eugene McCray Community Center (4932 Wilbarger Street; 817-392-7146). The pantry, which offers no-cost fresh fruits and vegetables and other nutritional resources in a store-type setting, is the 13^th location to be opened in Tarrant County by North Texas Healthy Communities (NTHC), a nonprofit arm of Texas Health that implements Blue Zones Project in Fort Worth and other well-being initiatives across the region.