Food Hero at the Farmers Market began in Douglas County in 2017 to increase youth exposure to healthy food and help families shop more confidently for fruits and vegetables. Developed through a FEAST grant from the Oregon Food Bank, the program encourages kids to try new foods, take home easy recipes and use vouchers to purchase produce of their choice at the market.
The program gives children more than a taste of fresh produce — it offers a foundation for healthy habits and stronger connections to local food systems.
At the Food Hero booth, children taste fruits and vegetables prepared in fun, approachable ways. They collect stamps in a Food Hero passport and receive weekly handouts and recipes in English and Spanish. Each time they participate, they receive a $3 voucher they can spend at the market on fruits and vegetables. This exposure model, backed by Oregon SNAP-Ed research, is designed to help children form lifelong healthy eating habits.
Food Hero is a statewide initiative of the Oregon Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed), developed by the Oregon State University Extension Service in both English and Spanish. SNAP-Ed research supports this model — when children are exposed to healthy foods early and often, they are more likely to eat them regularly.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Umpqua Valley Farmers Market in Roseburg was the only location to continue the program. With help from a $3,000 market contribution, the format was adapted to offer take-home cooking kits, which replaced tastings and activities to protect participant health. These kits were more expensive, and the added funding helped offset costs.
In 2022, the program expanded again. The Canyonville Farmers Market returned as a summer partner with $1,750 in grant support for youth vouchers. Feeding Umpqua, the regional food bank, contributed $4,000 for additional supplies. That summer, the Umpqua Valley market ran the program for 13 weeks and Canyonville for 11 weeks. Some weeks focused on tastings, others on cooking kits, but all encouraged participation from youth and families.
To increase access, OSU Extension SNAP-Ed in Douglas County partnered with Riddle Elementary School to bus all summer school students to the Canyonville market for three weeks in July. Each week, about 70 to 80 children took part, and during those visits the program served over 100 young participants. One week, a dot survey showed that 60 out of 64 kids said they liked or loved the experience.
On average, weekly participation increased from 25 youth per market in 2018 to 70 in 2022. Across both markets, the total number of youth reached in summer 2022 was 2,454 — a 62% increase from 1,509 the year before. According to Riddle Elementary’s principal, the experience was especially meaningful for students in a school with a high number of free and reduced lunch qualifiers. The program helped meet both educational and nutritional needs.
Farmers also benefited. Over the course of the summer, $6,386 in produce was purchased through youth vouchers and cooking kit supplies — a welcome revenue boost for local vendors.
Food Hero at the Farmers Market continues to thrive thanks to strong partnerships with Feeding Umpqua, local farmers markets and Douglas County schools. The program gives children more than a taste of fresh produce — it offers a foundation for healthy habits and stronger connections to local food systems.
If you're interested in participating or volunteering, you can reach out to the respective farmers markets or contact the OSU Extension office in Douglas County for more information.
