August 10, 2016
Page 5
Making Food Benefits Go Further
People who receive Supplemental Nu-
trition Assistance Program (SNAP) ben-
efits in Oregon will see their money go
twice as far with a new Double Up Food
Bucks program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is
aiming to see more fruits and vegetables in
the hands of disadvantaged households by
matching up to $10 worth of food stamp
benefit money when it’s used to purchase
produce at local farmers’ markets.
“It’s helping to increase access to fresh
fruits and vegetables for families who are
working a little harder to put food on the
table,” says Katie Furia, Double Up Bucks
program manager. “Also, it’s helpful for
farmers.”
Over 50 farmers markets in Oregon par-
ticipate in the Double Up Food Bucks pro-
gram, serving Oregon’s more than 700,000
residents that receive SNAP benefits, offi-
cials said.
To receive the food bucks, recipients
must go to their farmers’ market info tent
where they’ll swipe their Oregon Trail
Card in exchange tokens for the SNAP
qualified food and Double Up match.
Fresh cut herbs, legumes and beans, veg-
etables, mushrooms and fruits all fall under
what can be covered by food bucks, and
recipients can still use their SNAP benefits
like usual for other food items at the mar-
kets like breads, cheeses, meats and eggs.
Double Up Food Bucks is matching SNAP benefits at more than 50 participating farmers’ markets in Oregon. (Photo by Mack
Male/Flickr)
Pet Station Opens at PDX
As part of ongoing efforts to provide
a top-notch customer service experience,
Portland International Airport has opened
a pet relief area on the south end of the
Concourse Connector, which connects
the north and south sides of the airport.
The space allows a convenient post-se-
curity location that is not immediately
adjacent to any shops, restaurants or wait-
ing areas, ensuring a pleasant experience
for all travelers—those with animals and
those without, airport officials said.
While designed and intended for
service animals, the station may also
be used by the many people traveling
through the airports with their pets. In
the interest of pet safety and passenger
comfort, non-service animals should re-
main in their carriers at all times while in
the terminal.
Changes and improvements at the air-
port continue as the airport undertakes a
suite of major airport improvement proj-
ects aimed at providing awarding-win-
ning comfort and convenience for trav-
elers, operational efficiency, and safety
Photo Courtesy P ort of P ortland
Oregon Guide Dogs for the Blind trainers LaCrisha Kaufman (left) and LaniJo
Bachmann bring their canine companions to check out the new pet relief area at
Portland International Airport.
and security. In 2016, PDX won Travel
+ Leisure’s “America’s Best Airport”
award for the fourth consecutive year.
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