Chattanooga: Fresh produce for all

A farm in an inner-city Chattanooga neighborhood hopes to attract its neighbors by letting them use food stamps to buy its organic produce.

“This is a low-income area, and we wanted to be able to access our neighbors who might otherwise be unable to afford fresh produce,” said Sarah Malone, development and outreach manager for Crabtree Farms, the first fresh farm stand in Tennessee to accept food stamps. “And we hope it also sets a precedent to encourage other farmers to do the same.”

No food stamps have been used at the farm yet, but farm officials believe it’s just a matter of time. Word of the new program is being spread through Web postings, as well as signs at the farm.

The farm is located on the edge of Rossville and Chattanooga.

“We exist in a community that is a food desert,” Ms. Malone said.

A food desert is a neighborhood that lacks grocery stores and supermarkets, thereby limiting the availability of nutritious food for area residents, according to the Community Research Council, which hosted a discussion on the topic earlier this year.

Ms. Malone said the farm’s prices for organic produce are “comparable with the area grocery stores, and, in some cases, more affordable.”

In Tennessee, 936,000 people are on the food stamp program, according to records from the Tennessee Department of Human Services, administrators of the state’s food stamp program.

Michelle Mowery Johnson, department spokeswoman, said there are no laws requiring food stamp recipients to buy certain food items, though alcohol, cigarettes and nonfood items are prohibited.

“People can certainly get frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, but we know they are some of the costliest items. Farm stands are a good alternative to use their EBT cards,” she said.

The food stamp program no longer offers stamps with which to purchase groceries. The EBT card, similar to a debit card, is now being used by those in the food stamp program.

Food stamp recipients benefit when businesses that sell fresh fruits and vegetables participate in the program, said Debbie Haston-Hilger, a spokeswomen for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Nutrition Service’s southeast region in Atlanta.

“Everyone deserves access to good nutrition,” she said.

Vanessa Mercer, Crabtree farm’s executive director, said offering food stamps “furthers Crabtree’s mission of including access of good food to our community.”