The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board published an opinion piece this weekend that says law-makers in Sacramento fumbled when they let AB 2385 die in the Appropriations Committee. The proposed bill would have had a lot of bang for its buck, by establishing a fund that would allow California to receive matching federal funds. The combined federal and state dollars would have gone toward expanding the Ecology Center’s healthy food incentive program, Market Match. The program gives an incentive for low-income shoppers to buy fruits and vegetables from local farmers’ markets. Small farmers then take home the extra income. This successful program is now at a point where it needs funding to expand to have a significant impact statewide. How does it all add up? A $2 million investment from California would bring $10 million in sales to farmers, and serve 250,000 SNAP recipients.
Click here to read the full article. A boost from Sacramento would have gone a long way, but this program is going to keep growing organically until lawmakers catch on.
[Photo from Sacramento Bee]
