TOLEDO, Ohio — To help combat high food costs, assistance programs like SNAP and EBT are a must for many families.
Locally, the Toledo Farmers' Market has been making sure families can access more healthy foods for less money, through events like the Buckeye Fresh Days! by Buckeye Health Plan.
The event has been going on for the past five years and qualifying families get vouchers for purchase produce and in some cases could get hundreds in combined vouchers. The market in some cases matches dollar for dollar when purchasing produce.
Buckeye Health Plan Community Relations Representative Olysse Elkins said the goal is to help their clients, and anyone else who qualifies, remove the roadblocks to being able to eat healthy.
"We want to make sure that everyone has access to healthy foods and can lead a healthy lifestyle as easily as possible," Elkins said.
Nearly 16% of Lucas County residents experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America, and more than 1.5 million Ohioans aren't able to meet their basic food needs.
Peyton Dickman, a mother of four, was happy to pick up her Buckeye Fresh produce vouchers before the event. While she's been a part of Buckeye Health Plan for over seven years, Saturday will be her first Buckeye Fresh Days event.
"I think it'll be exciting to see the options they have," Dickman said.
She's thrilled each child gets their own $15. Now, Adalynn, 6; Braxton, 5; Zaylee, 4; and Nora, 2, get to pick their favorites and something new, Dickman said.
"They love their fruits but we go through that quite fast, so even $15 may not be a lot to other people. But, it's very helpful with having four littles," she said.
In Lucas County, 52% of residents are living below the SNAP threshold. Dan Madigan, executive director of the Toledo Farmer's Market, said those residents likely live where there aren't many places to purchase fresh produce or food deserts.
"We found that people will end up going to convenience stores, gas stations and buying basically junk food," Madigan said.
He said he's proud the market hosts events like Buckeye Fresh Days with other organizations that offer coupon and voucher programs to help families buy large amounts of healthier food options. Many people tell them how much they appreciate it.
"A lot of them will stop by and say how thankful they are for the programs because those are the programs that allow them to do that. Allow them to shop like this," Madigan said.
The fruit and vegetable coupon program provides eligible families with a booklet worth $140, redeemable at participating locations on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, click here.
The Produce Perks SNAP/EBT match program provides a $25 match on SNAP/EBT purchases of fruits and vegetables. Any amount spent with SNAP/EBT, up to $25, will be matched $1-for-$1. For more information, click here.
Buckeye Fresh! offers Buckeye members attending the market $15 in free produce vouchers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Children of members will receive a free Buckeye Buck to purchase a healthy snack.
Buying the food is half the battle, though, according to Central State University Family and Consumer Science Extension Instructor Jewel Rollins. She said events like these showcase the importance of learning healthy recipes.
"What do I do with all these things I might purchase? I don't want it to go to waste." Rollins said. "Just start by slicing your vegetables. It can just be mixed in a bowl. It doesn't have to be put on the stove."
Buckeye Fresh Day! is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Toledo Farmer's Market.