WHOLESOME WAVE AND MARCH OF DIMES JOIN FORCES

Hartford, CT (September 13, 2011) —In the late 1930s, when President Franklin Roosevelt
founded both the federal food stamps program and the March of Dimes Foundation, he may not
have expected them to come together in a common cause. Wholesome Wave is pleased to
announce that the March of Dimes has provided a $10,000 grant that will enable it to assist the
Billings-Forge Community Works farmers’ market, which is the first and only in Hartford that
accepts Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known
as food stamps, and also provides twice the value through Wholesome Wave’s Double Coupon
Value Program (DVCP).

“To say that the funds from March of Dimes will go far to help our community is an
understatement,” said Rita Decker-Parry, Market Manager of Billings-Forge Community Works
farmers’ market. “The funding, in conjunction with the work and monies from Wholesome
Wave, is what will keep our outdoor market running and available to Hartford residents who may
not otherwise have access to local produce.”

This is the first initiative undertaken jointly by Wholesome Wave, a non-profit organization
working to improve the access to and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally-grown fruits and
vegetables for underserved populations, and the March of Dimes, the non-profit organization that
helps moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. The grant will help
Wholesome Wave and the Billings-Forge Community Works farmers’ market provide
community members, including pregnant women in the area, with additional fresh, local fruits
and vegetables in conjunction with SNAP benefits.

Food Stamps and the March of Dimes were founded by FDR in 1939 and 1938, respectively. He
introduced Food Stamps as a way to provide additional food to families struck hard by the Great
Depression. Wholesome Wave works with farmers’ markets, including Billings-Forge, to
provide twice the amount of produce to SNAP recipients through the organization’s Double
Value Coupon Program. Additional programs, including the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription
Program (FVRx), which provides high-risk populations with fresh fruits and vegetables via
health care center prescriptions, and farmers’ market development initiatives are also part of
Wholesome Wave’s core outreach efforts.