To get fresh vegetables to people who need them, one city puts its soda tax to work

It's a chilly, winter evening outside the Boulder Public Library, with the sun low in the sky. Inside, tucked behind a spiral staircase, a small crowd begins to file into a meeting room.

They are here for a distribution of coupons for the Fruit and Veg Boulder program, run by county health department staff and community groups. These distributions happen every three months – a family of two gets $40 a month in coupons, families of four and up get $80. They can be used pretty much anywhere in town where you can buy fresh produce – from big grocery stores to farm stands.

"On Tuesday, there was a huge line out the door," says Ana Karina Casas Ibarra, of El Centro AMISTAD, a community nonprofit. "They're willing to come in the cold, in the snow for $80 a month of fruits and veggies, which tells you a lot – people are struggling."