skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, December 6, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

7.0 magnitude earthquake reported off Northern California coast, tsunami warning canceled; Fewer Hoosiers vote in 2024 amid early voting tensions; 'ALICE at Work' paycheck-to-paycheck struggle; New push for protection for manatees, Florida's 'gentle giants.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Senate Indian Affairs chair says a long-imprisoned activist deserves clemency, Speaker Mike Johnson says they may end funding for PBS and Planned Parenthood, and Senate Republicans privately say Hegseth's nomination is doomed.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Limited access to community resources negatively impacts rural Americans' health, a successful solar company is the result of a Georgia woman's determination to stay close to her ailing grandfather, and Connecticut looks for more ways to cut methane emissions.

WIC Families Can Now Get Vouchers for Farmers Market Purchases

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 30, 2021   

DENVER -- Participants in WIC, the federal nutrition assistance program for women, infants, and children, can now get vouchers to buy food at farmers markets across Colorado.

Starting July 1, WIC-eligible families will be able to get locally grown fruits and vegetables, and meet farmers, who frequently have cost-effective recipes for preparing what they grow.

Amy Nelms, healthy food incentive senior program and policy manager for Nourish Colorado, said the vouchers also open the door to a host of resources available at local markets that have evolved far beyond simple food stands.

"Kids activities, mobile food pantries, screenings for health," Nelms outlined. "Some of them do single dad, single mom days. And they're really offering resources for health and a space to connect with the community."

This year marks the first time Colorado is part of the federally funded Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

Families can find out if they are eligible for WIC, and collect farmer's market vouchers, on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's website and contacting their local public-health office.

Nelms sees food as a cornerstone of health care. Fresh, nutritious foods can boost the immune system and have long-term health benefits.

She added any concerns about food assistance programs keeping people from re-entering the workforce are off the mark, because most Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC participants who are able to work already have jobs.

"Most of the families that use these incentive programs, they are using them as a stepping stone," Nelms observed. "And the average amount of time anyone's using them is about 18 months. So, they're not these long-term programs that people use forever."

She added food incentive programs, including produce boxes, were critical for families and local farmers in the COVID health emergency.

There's also the Double Up Food Bucks program for participants in SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, in Colorado. The program matches SNAP purchases with dollars to purchase locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

Disclosure: Nourish Colorado contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Social Justice, and Sustainable Agriculture. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The Georgia Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence has released a report featuring input from experts in higher education, law and business. The goal is to get ahead of AI and how it will impact various industries. (Kevin Ruck/Abode Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Georgia lawmakers are mapping out the state's future in artificial intelligence. This week, the Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence …


Social Issues

play sound

As word has spread about President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plans, advocates for immigrants in Oregon are working to educate people …

Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin has lost almost one in five of its newspapers in the past year. The state of newspapers has been dismal for years, and the 2024 figures are …


Antimicrobial consumption in farm animals is on the rise in the U.S., while declining in Europe by 44% from 2014 to 2021. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Sophie Kevany for Sentient.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for New Mexico News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaborati…

Social Issues

play sound

This month marks the 25th anniversary of a federal law designed to give states flexibility in helping older kids transition out of foster care…

ALICE families say while wages have increased, it hasn't been enough to keep up with inflation and is sometimes hard to put food on the table. (Konstantin Yuganov/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Wesley Brown for the Arkansas Delta Informer.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Arkansas News Service reporting for The Arkansas Delta Informer-Wi…

Environment

play sound

As President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in next month, the farming community wonders if he'll follow through on tariff threats. One expert says for …

Environment

play sound

By Frida Garza for Grist.Broadcast version by Chrystal Blair for Michigan News Connection reporting for the Rural News Network-Public News Service Col…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021