SNAP EBT Token
Go to Market info booth to swipe your EBT card for any amount & get tokens.

SNAP Market Match
Swipe your EBT card at the market info booth and you will get up to $25 more to spend in SNAP Market Match each day you shop at the farmers market.

WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program
WIC Participants with FMNP get:

• $30 per participant OR $90 per family to spend between June 1 and Oct 31

All WIC participants can now use Fruit & Vegetable Benefits at the market too!:

• $26 and up per month depending on family

Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program
Seniors with FMNP get $80 per season to spend between June 1 and Oct 31.

See the flyer for more info!

– Posted here April 1, 2024

See our own Anna McClelland in the latest issue of Washington State Magazine (2 pieces)!

Schooling on Salmon [excerpt below]

Kitsap County Extension Water Stewardship programs

Schooling on Salmon
by Becky Kramer

When coho and chum salmon return to spawning grounds in Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula, “salmon docents” are there to greet them.

The docents provide streamside education about the salmon’s life cycle, migration, and habitat needs, helping local residents appreciate and protect the natural wonder in their midst.

“Many people in our community have never seen the salmon runs,” says Anna McClelland, interim water stewardship coordinator for Washington State University’s Kitsap County Extension program, which trains the docents.

Read the full articles above!

– Posted February 6, 2024

The Regional Small Farms Team would like feedback from farmers in Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap Counties for our 2024 / 2025 Class Schedule!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE SURVEY

*** PLEASE NOTE – THIS SURVEY IS FOR CLALLAM, JEFFERSON & KITSAP COUNTY FARMERS. IF YOU DO NOT CURRENTLY OR PLAN TO FARM IN ONE OF THOSE THREE COUNTIES, PLEASE DO NOT ENTER RESPONSES INTO THIS FORM ***

– Posted January 29, 2024

December, 2023

LEARN MORE

Please join Kitsap 4-H in this county wide COMMUNITY SERVICE project!
Bremerton Foodline is in URGENT need of food.
If you are able please consider donating.
Contact kitsap.county4h@wsu.edu to arrange a pick up.

– Posted December 15, 2023

Goodbye to Sheila and Amy!

Please join us at WSU Kitsap Extension in bidding farewell to two of our team members…

From 4-H:

It is with sadness and congratulations that Sheila Jernigan will be leaving Kitsap 4-H as an employee at the end of September. She has been with 4-H for many years and has done amazing things with numerous clubs and programs. Sheila has accepted a full time position at one of the local elementary schools and is excited for what is to come. Make sure you take a minute to let her know how much she has meant to you over the years. Our program would not be what it is without her!!

From Water Stewardship:

Join us in congratulating Amy Smalley on her new position with Kitsap County’s Department of Community Development. Amy has worked tirelessly to grow and improve WSU Water Stewardship Programs for the past four years. She has a passion for our local ecosystems, and is dedicated to inspiring community members to protect and improve fragile places in Kitsap County. Amy won’t be far, and will still be doing environmental outreach, just in a different capacity.

– Posted October 12, 2023

From SNAP-Ed:

Children under age 6 who live in a household that receives Basic Food will receive retroactive P-EBT benefits as a lump sum for each month they were active on food benefits from Sept. 1, 2022, through May 11, 2023, the date the federal PHE designation ended. Monthly benefits for eligible months: Sept. 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023: $43.88 per month Prorated amount for May 1 – 11, 2023: $28.94

P-EBT automatic eligibility determination and benefit issuance process: In collaboration with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, DSHS is continuing to work with their third-party vendor, Accenture, to determine eligibility for P-EBT automatically and to load benefits onto a designated P-EBT card. Eligible children will receive an approval letter in the mail, and newly eligible children will also receive a P-EBT card. Families who have misplaced or gotten rid of previous P-EBT cards can call 833-518-0282 for a replacement card. As this is the final year of P-EBT, families are encouraged to use their benefits. Any unused P-EBT benefits will be removed after 274 days of non-usage. Any transaction, regardless of amount, will prevent removal of these benefits for 274 days from the transaction date. Families can sign up for text message alerts about the status of their child’s P-EBT by going to textpebt.dshs.wa.gov and filling out a simple verification form. Please contact the P-EBT Contact Center at 833-518-0282 for additional support.

– Posted July 31, 2023

This month’s coordinator spotlight:

Julie Evenson, SNAP-Ed Nutrition Program

SNAP-Ed Nutrition is Washington State’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education. It is a practical, hands on nutrition education program available to Washington Basic Food (food stamp) recipients and schools where 50% or more of their students receive free or reduced lunches. This nutrition education program reaches youth and adults in the Kitsap community with information to help participants practice healthy eating habits and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Food Guidance System (ChooseMyPlate.gov).

Let’s learn a little more about Julie and the SNAP-Ed Nutrition Program:

How did you first get involved with SNAP-Ed Nutrition?

I was an athlete growing up, as a result the benefits associated with proper nutrition were introduced to me at an early age. My mom wanted to help give me a competitive edge and researched how to fuel your body for peak performance. She fed me nutrient dense meals and explained how these foods would give me the energy and strength I needed for games and for lifelong health. When I went to college and discovered there were career opportunities in Nutrition, and I could help others lead healthy lifestyles I was all in.

What is the most rewarding part about your job?

The most rewarding aspect about my job is when we succeed in making the healthy choice the easy choice for our SNAP-eligible clients. Whether it’s working with a local food bank to transition them to a “dignified” grocery store shopping model or convincing a school to incorporate “Healthy Celebrations” and “Physical Activity” breaks in their day. It’s the positive health impacts these types of projects produce that keeps me motivated to continue to do this type of work.

What is one important or valuable feature of SNAP-Ed Nutrition that is not commonly known?

Our program within the extension office is unique. One hundred percent of SNAP-Ed’s time, energy and resources goes towards only serving SNAP-eligible (low-income) individuals and families in Kitsap County. As a result, we have to be mindful of what we can say yes to when community members approach us on opportunities. In addition, we don’t have volunteer opportunities within our program, but the low-income individuals we serve do benefit from people in the community who volunteer at the local food banks, for the Kitsap Harvest Gleaning program, school backpack programs, at meal sites etc. If you would like to make a difference by volunteering, please reach out to these partners

Any other information you’d like people to know?

We currently serve students and families in the Bremerton School District through the Fruit & Vegetable Grant and partnering with school staff on incorporating Physical Activity breaks. We are also looking for Farm to School opportunities in this coming year.

SNAP-Ed Community Partners include Kitsap Conservation District, Central Kitsap Food Bank, St. Vincent De Paul Food Bank & Women Shelter, Community Service Office, Kitsap Harvest, Kitsap Public Health, WSU Extension Food System program, Healthy Living & Active Living Coalition, Kitsap Food Bank Coalition, and Kitsap Food System Round Table group.

For more information about our SNAP-Ed Nutrition programming please visit our Home page!

– Posted July 26, 2023

SEE THE FULL INFOGRAPHIC

With warm summer temperatures here, please be sure to take good care of your livestock during extreme heat. WSU created this helpful tipsheet. Let us know if you have any questions about livestock and heat stress. Feel free to contact Dan McCarty, our WSU livestock specialist at dan.mccarty@wsu.edu

– Posted July 20, 2023