At a farmers market in Kalihi Valley on Saturday, Kimberly Loughmiller was able to get fresh bell peppers and asparagus, produce she usually can’t afford at the grocery store, because of a program that gives her two dollars for every dollar she spends.

The single mother of two boys, ages 4 and 5, bought fresh broccoli that she planned to use for a beef broccoli dinner.

"I like it," said Loughmiller, 35, of Kalihi Valley. "I’ll be back."

The "double bucks" program is for customers like Loughmiller who use an Electronic Benefit Transfer card from the national food assistance program known as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP.

A local nonprofit, Kokua Kalihi Valley, began the program with the mission of getting more fruits and vegetables into the diet of low-income residents and improving the health of residents in the valley.

Customers can participate at the Kalihi Valley farmers market by using their EBT cards to buy white tokens from Kokua Kalihi Valley’s stand. The tokens are then used as cash with participating vendors at the market.

Kealohi Lucas, assistant program coordinator for Kokua Kalihi Valley, said nine out of 11 vendors at the market accept the tokens.

Now that the program has been running for two months, Kokua Kalihi Valley will host an event at the farmers market Saturday to sign up more people in SNAP and highlight the availability of fresh produce to SNAP consumers. The event will take place from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at Kalihi Valley District Park, 1911 Kamehameha IV Road, and will include food demonstrations, samples, giveaways and gardening workshops.

Lucas said the token program was started at the Kalihi Valley farmers market because of its smaller size and began with grant money from Wholesome Wave, a Connecticut-based nonprofit that encourages connections between local farmers and poor communities to strengthen the nation’s food system.

The program will continue until the grant money runs out. Lucas, who didn’t have the amount of the grant, said it could last for a year.

Gin Keosavanh, who was selling produce from Sikhattanh farm in Waimanalo, said the program has generated a noticeable uptick in shoppers at the market.

The program is "good for everybody," said Keosavanh, who was selling green beans, avocados, papayas and bitter melon. "They have more money to spend."

At the end of Saturday’s 75-minute market, five customers bought $152 worth of tokens, Lucas said.

Pikake Watson, of Kalihi, used her tokens to buy Okinawan sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes and red ginger flowers.

"There’s no way you can get vegetables cheaper," she said.