Humboldt farmers markets add $20 WIC food match starting April 25

A WIC shopper in Humboldt County can now get $20 more to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets, a boost designed to make healthy food go farther as grocery bills keep climbing. The North Coast Growers’ Association said the new Market Match started April 25 and is available at markets in Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna, McKinleyville and Garberville.

The match is tied to the California WIC Card. California WIC says most participants receive a monthly cash-value fruit-and-vegetable benefit, and WIC-authorized farmers’ markets can accept the card’s QR code for produce purchases. At the market, shoppers spend their WIC benefits directly with participating farmers, then pick up paper vouchers at the information booth to use on produce, plants and seeds that grow food. NCGA said brand-new participants may receive additional vouchers, a detail meant to bring in people who have not used farmers markets before.

The program reaches across much of the county’s market network. NCGA’s schedule includes the Arcata Plaza Farmers’ Market, its largest market with more than 70 local farmers and makers at the height of the season, along with Eureka Old Town and later-season markets in Fortuna, Henderson Center, McKinleyville, Garberville and Friday Night Market. That matters in a county where getting to a store can be as much of a hurdle as paying for the food once there.

The local need is clear. A Humboldt County food-access brief based on UC Davis Labor and Community Center research said 32,259 people, nearly 1 in 4 county residents, lived in a food desert in 2022. The same brief said Food for People saw a 75% increase in the number of people it serves per month since the USDA’s last data period, underscoring how quickly demand for affordable food has grown.

For farmers, the match is also a sales tool. NCGA’s 2023 Market Match impact report said Humboldt sites recorded $412,265 in CalFresh and Market Match spending at 12 sites, equal to an estimated 824,000 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. NCGA said it worked with the state WIC department in 1995 to help develop the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, and its current food-access programs now include CalFresh EBT Market Match, WIC cash-value benefits, Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program checks and Open Door vouchers.