Video Transcript:

GLORIA PENNER (Host): For many people living in poverty, buying fresh fruits and vegetables may seem like a luxury. But four San Diego County farmer's markets are now accepting food stamps in an effort to encourage low-income families to eat more fresh produce. The program began in City Heights last year and people there say it's a success. KPBS Reporter Sharon Heilbrunn has the story. 

SHARON HEILBRUNN (KPBS Reporter): Every Saturday, about 700 City Heights residents shop at the community
farmers market. Many are there to buy fruits and vegetables they wouldn't
otherwise be able to afford. You see, THIS farmers market accepts food
stamps.

MICHELLE ZIVE (Network for a Healthy California, UCSD): Most people think farmers markets only exist in high income
neighborhoods, like Del Mar or La Jolla. So it was really important that our
low income neighborhoods had this opportunity to purchase fresh fruits and
vegetables.

HEILBRUNN: Like Modesto Garcia, who shops there regularly.

MODESTO GARCIA (through translator): I've been coming here since it opened, because
I live across the street. The reason I started coming here is because the
prices of the produce are very reasonable, and the quality of the produce is
very good. My children are asthmatic, and they started consuming a lot of
the citrus fruits that are here, and their asthma actually got better.

HEILBRUNN: And the farmer's are benefiting from the program as well.

CASEY ANDERSON (San Diego County FARM BUREAU): Really, it's made fresh fruit available to a segment of
the population that normally wouldn't be able to come to a farmers market
and buy fresh and local produce grown in San Diego County. I mean, food
stamps here at the City Heights Farmers Market make up about 15 percent of
the farmers sales. So the growers here are loving it. It's a whole new
customer base for farmers in San Diego County.

HEILBRUNN: The City Heights Farmers Market averages about $500 to $700
each week in food stamp sales.Some of that money is generated by fresh funds, a matching funds program. Those who use food stamps can get up to $5 back to spend at the market.

MAI NGUYEN (Farmers' Market Program Coordinator): So when people claim their food stamps, they get
tokens back instead of cash, which guarantees they will use those tokens at
the market.

HEILBRUNN: I remember being in college and buying cup of noodles because it was 99
cents and filling. How do you convince people to bypass fast food, they're making very little money as it is, and
instead pick up an apple or pick up an orange?

MICHELLE: Yeah, good point. You go to the store and it's 75 cents for mac
and cheese, or two oranges. What are you going to do? So the idea is,
something like the famers market can ADD to. OK. It's not going to take the
place of those things. But instead of having cup of noodles plain, add a little bit of 
chicken, add some fresh vegetables. So it's a supplement.

Me: About 25,000 people are eligible for food stamps in City Heights. About
11,000 actually register for them. About 150-200 shop at the market each week with
them. Do you consider that successful? Do you consider that a good number. 

MICHELLE: Here's the deal. It was a really difficult idea to get EBT
accessible markets here. Everyone said,  no ones gonna purchase it, no ones
on food stamps, no ones gonna do this. We brought in
$150,000 in a year. I  mean, that's $150,000  more than this community saw
before. So I would consider it successful. And we've asked people -- do you
eat more fruits and vegetables as a result of the city heights farmers
market? And those that attend here say yes, of course. And it's because of
the fresh funds and EBT and that it's here, that they're able to eat more
fruits and vegetables.

HEILBRUNN: The City Heights Farmers Market is open from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. every Saturday. For more informartion, visit cityheightsfarmersmarket.com
<http://cityheightsfarmersmarket.com/> . For kpbs, I'm Sharon Heilbrunn. 

PENNER: Besides City Heights, the farmers' markets in Lakeside, San Marcos and Valley Center also accept food stamps. For more information on this and about our special series on the food we eat, go to www.kpbs.org/food.