Summertime is here, and that means some shifts in our Food Access programming! With schools being closed for the summer, so are several of our Fresh for Less Markets. Formerly referred to as “Farm Stands,” these are small markets, supported by the City of Austin, which bring fresh, affordable, and culturally-appropriate local food to families living in food insecure areas of our city.

They are spaces where community members can purchase locally-grown produce at a low cost, engage in the local food system, and gain access to knowledge about cooking healthy food. We are proud to collaborate with Farmshare Austin and the City of Austin to make this project possible.

This summer we are continuing to build bridges between the Austin community and the Double Dollars network. We will continue to operate two Fresh for Less Markets in South and Southeast Austin, and our partners at Farmshare Austin will be operating three additional Fresh for Less Markets throughout the summer.

At our own SFC Farmers’ Markets, and with partner markets, our Food Access team is ramping up the annual summertime Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program – a collaboration with Texas WIC that invites families receiving WIC benefits to visit the farmers’ market for additional market dollars between the months of April and September.

This is a fantastic time to welcome new customers to the markets and celebrate the bounty of the summer (read: peaches). Families are coming in from surrounding areas including Bastrop, Kyle, Buda, Round Rock, and Pflugerville.

So far, we’ve distributed over $22,000 through the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, all of which we double with SFC Double Dollars! Our goal is to provide our new customers with information that can connect them with markets and Double Dollars sites in their own communities.

Stay tuned for more SFC Food Access updates, and in the meantime, click here to see an updated list of all summertime sites.