Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and the Office of Sustainability and Environment recently announced a pilot program “to strengthen equal access to local and health foods.”

The program doubles the value of SNAP EBT card (today’s food stamp equivalent) purchases when made at seven farmers markets in Seattle, including the West Seattle market open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For every $10 an EBT cardholder spends at a farmer’s market, they automatically get an additional $10 to spend.

“Everyone in Seattle deserves access to healthy, fresh, affordable food,” Seattle Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith said in a statement. “Fresh Bucks increases the purchasing power of low-income Seattle residents while introducing new customers to the small and mid-size farmers who sell at our farmers markets.”

According to the Mayor’s Office, “The cost of fruits and vegetables has been identified as a barrier to consuming recommended amounts of healthy food for low-income communities. The Fresh Bucks program addresses this barrier as well as generates economic stimulus by keeping federal nutrition benefit funds within local and regional communities. A study by Moody’s Economy showed that an increase of SNAP/Food Stamp benefits by $1 creates a “ripple effect through the economy,” resulting in $1.73 in economic stimulus.”

The pilot runs from August 1 through October 1, 2012 and was formed in partnership with the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance. Funding was provided by JP Morgan Chase, the Seattle Foundation, and the WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.