Allen County’s investment in local food is paying off, GROW Food and Farm Council representatives Debbie Bearden and Marilyn Logan told commissioners Tuesday evening, detailing how programs like SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks are helping families stretch their grocery dollars while strengthening the community’s connection to local produce.
Bearden began by thanking commissioners for last season’s $1,000 contribution to help the GROW Council facilitate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Double Up Food Bucks incentive program at the Allen County Farmers Market.
SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families. With the Double Up Food Bucks program, a SNAP user’s money is matched, allowing residents to stretch their food dollars at the farmers market by getting twice the fruits and veggies.
The funding made it possible to enlist Amy Barrett to oversee Thursday evening market operations. “She did an awesome job,” Bearden said. “It was a pretty good team effort because every Thursday night, we had different ones on the council helping out.”
Bearden announced the program will continue next year thanks to a mix of federal and regional funds through the Mid-America Regional Council in partnership with K-State. “They said there’s not been an official announcement or press release made, but that we can proceed and get ready for next season,” she told the commission.
Bearden then requested the county renew its $1,000 contribution for the 2026 season, which commissioners approved unanimously.
IN ADDITION to managing the SNAP and “Double Up Food Bucks” programs, Bearden said the GROW Council has participated regularly in the Kansas Food Action Network (KFAN), the statewide coalition of food and farm councils.
“We’ve also been able to support our local food pantries by providing some protein for them at different times,” she said. “Protein is one of those things that we’ve never had enough of.”
When Commissioner David Lee asked how pantries keep the protein-rich items are frozen, Bearden said grants had helped provide the needed infrastructure. “Fortunately, due to some work in the past, the outreach pantries all have freezers,” she said. “When we first started getting grants, that’s what we got — storage, either freezers or metal shelves and cabinets.”
The GROW Council also is working to identify and encourage cottage food industries — small, home-based businesses that produce items such as baked goods, jams, sauces and candies.
“We don’t know for sure how many there are in Allen County,” Logan, GROW Council treasurer, said. “But we’re researching it, and by May of next year, we should have a very good idea.”
Bearden noted that Logan has recently been appointed to the Kansas Food Action Network Advisory Council, saying, “We feel very blessed to have that link there.”
GROW COUNCIL recently received word that a $41,847 federal grant through the Heartland Regional Business Center will be awarded toward their efforts.
A portion of the grant will go toward helping facilitate the SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks program and the remainder will help bring a new event to Allen County. “We are in the process of getting the funds from the grant,” Bearden noted. “The project we’re getting the funds for is what we’re calling a food festival.”
Logan will coordinate the event, scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2026, on the Iola square.
“We will invite any and all food trucks, cottage industries, and restaurants to bring a signature dish to serve for the day,” she said. The event will feature a cooking contest judged by both a panel and public vote, children’s activities, and booths for local organizations.
