Rows of colorful, fresh produce decorated picnic tables Wednesday as children selected the best they could buy with $5 of Monopoly money.
They arrived to the Meridian Township Farmer's Market, 5151 Marsh Road, in Okemos, in neon-green T-shirts at 1:30 p.m. when market traffic was slower.
The children, who were part of the Healthy Snacks for Kids initiative, worked in teams of six to buy the most produce with their money. Everything they bought had a points value, and they competed for the most points, said Lacey Proctor, a supervisor at the camp. Fruits and vegetables were worth three points, grains were worth two points and everything else was worth one point. Every group received at least 30 points, Proctor said.
The Healthy Snacks for Kids initiative began at the end of June to teach and encourage healthy eating habits, said LuAnn Maisner, director of Meridian Township Parks and Recreation. The six-week program runs until Aug. 2.
"They're eating foods they've never even had before," Proctor said.
Hannah Lochinski spent her Monopoly money on apples and strawberries, which are her favorite.
"My favorite part is buying the food," the 5-year-old Meridian Township resident said.
Farmers were asked to make even dollar sections because the children only had whole dollar bills, said Sharon Pierce, the Meridian Township Farmer's market manager.
Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, who helped fund the program with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, met the children at the market.
"I was pleasantly surprised to win the money for the kids," Meadows said, who competed in a legislative walk sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. During the six-week competition, Meadows logged about 365 miles on a pedometer provided for the walk.
Meadows and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan provided a $1,000 grant from the prize money. About $300 of the grant goes to the Healthy Snacks for Kids initiative, while $700 goes to Walk Michigan, an incentive exercise program also run by Meridian Township Parks and Recreation, Maisner said.
In conjunction with the Meridian Township Parks and Recreation Summer Playground Program at the Snell Towar-Recreation Center, 6146 Porter Ave., free, healthy snacks are provided daily to about 50 children who attend the drop-in day camp, Maisner said.
The initiative creates a dialogue to talk about nutrition and healthy lifestyles, Maisner said.
"It's neat to get to share different fruits and vegetables. It's always nice to hear a kid say their favorite snacks are strawberries instead of Doritos," Proctor said.
Local farmers made their produce accessible to the children, but some weren't able to sell much to the children.
"Kids want fruit. We have mostly vegetables, but we sold some mini flower bouquets," said Earl Threadgould, a farmer from Mason.
However, seeing the children at the market made Threadgould's participation worth it, he said.
"The younger you can get them accustomed to the farmers market, the better," he said.
