Bridge Card Bonus At Farmers Markets This Summer

DETROIT (WWJ) - You often hear people say that eating healthy is just too expensive. Now there's a special program designed to give low-income families access to better food choices. It's called the Fair Food Network.

Oran Hesterman, CEO of Fair Food, talked with WWJ about how Bridge Cards can be used to buy fresh produce through the "Double Up Food Bucks Program" at participating farmers markets.

"For every dollar you spend from your Bridge Card at the farmers market, you get a dollar's worth of Double Up Food Buck tokens, up to $20 per market day. Those Double Up Food Buck tokens can be spent on any Michigan-grown fruits or vegetables," said Hesterman.

The Double Up Food Bucks Initiative runs now through October.

Participating Detroit-area markets for 2011 are:

Detroit Eastern Market - HOURS: Sat., 5 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Eastside Farmers Market  -  HOURS: Sat., 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Farmer's & Artisan Market Dearborn  -  HOURS: Fri., 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Lincoln Park Farmers Market - HOURS: Sun., 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Wayne State University Farmers Market - HOURS: Wed., 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The Northwest Detroit Farmers' Market - HOURS: Thurs., 4 - 8 p.m.
Sowing Seeds Growing Futures Farmers Market - HOURS: Tues., 3 - 7 p.m.
Peaches & Greens Store and Mobile Food Truck - HOURS: Tues. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.  and Sat., 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

To see if you are eligible for a Bridge Card, visit www.mibridges.michigan.gov or a local Department of Human Services (DHS) Office. Eligibility is based on annual family  income, among other factors. For more information, call 1-800-MiBridge.