AUSTIN, Texas — Two local Texas Farmers Market (TFM) locations will soon begin accepting WIC, according to a report from Community Impact.
Both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, are federally-funded health and nutrition programs that assist low-income families and children. TFM accepts SNAP regularly, but WIC is seasonal.
The WIC operating season runs from April through October.
Community Impact reports that, through a partnership with the Sustainable Food Center (SFC), TFM has been accepting SNAP and WIC at select locations in the Austin area for years.
Local TFM locations that accept SNAP and WIC are the TFM at Lakeline in Cedar Park (Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.) and the TFM at Mueller (Sundays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.).
Two SFC farmers markets in the Austin area will also be accepting WIC and SNAP: the market in Downtown Austin (Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.) and the one in Sunset Valley (Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.).
WIC users will need to bring their WIC shopping lists to the food access booth at select farmers markets, where they will be given $30 in vouchers and automatically receive $30 in yellow "Double Up Food Bucks." Vouchers can be used to purchase fruits, vegetables and herbs.
According to Community Impact, the City of Austin's Office of Sustainability 2022 State of the Food System Report found that 14.4% of people in Travis County experience food insecurity.
Julia Keim, TFM's director of marketing, told Community Impact that TFM aims to get food produced by local farms into the hands of those who need it most.
To learn more, read Community Impact's full report.