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Program can help families who rely on meals provided to children during the school year
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Local SNAP recipients and farmers benefit from the extra $20 in weekly SNAP benefits available to purchase fresh produce
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Piedmont Natural Gas is reminding Nashville residents about “SNAPBack,” a program that gives participants in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) up to an extra $20 to spend on fresh produce when they use their SNAP benefits to buy fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets. This is the sixth consecutive year Piedmont has sponsored this program.
“Access to affordable, healthy foods is vital to our community, but it isn’t always easy to come by,” said Stephen Francescon, community relations manager for Piedmont Natural Gas. “Some families may be feeling an extra strain on their finances since school cafeterias are closed for the summer. Piedmont Natural Gas is proud to continue supporting this program because we are committed to helping eliminate hunger in our community.”
Approximately 900 SNAP recipients have redeemed more than $18,000 in SNAPBack tokens at participating farmers markets over the past two years, allowing them to significantly increase the amount of healthy produce they could buy.
The Hip Donelson Community Farmers Market, administrator of the SNAPBack program, has relocated to Two Rivers Mansion, offering more space for Nashville residents and vendors while providing access to these benefits. In total, there are farmers markets in five locations who participate in the program:
- Hip Donelson Community Farmers Market at Two Rivers Mansion – 3130 McGavock Pike, Fridays, 4-7 p.m.
- East Nashville Farmers Market – 1500 Davidson Street, (located in Shelby Park by the playground), Wednesdays, 3:30-7 p.m
- Richland Park Farmers Market – 4711 Charlotte Avenue, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- 12 South Farmers Market – 3000 Granny White Pike (Sevier Park), Tuesdays, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
- Amqui Station Farmers Market in Madison – 301 B Madison Street, Sundays, noon-3 p.m.
Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as power plants, in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Piedmont is routinely recognized by J.D. Power for excellent customer satisfaction, and was named by Cogent Reports in 2017 as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S.
Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers’ experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.
A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2018 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ 2018 “America’s Best Employers” list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Media contact: Stacey Perrow
Office: 704.731.4102 I 24-hour: 877.348.3612
stacey.perrow@duke-energy.com