Weymouth Farmer’s Market partners with Food Pantry to accept EBT
Weymouth, MA – April 14, 2015 – The Weymouth Farmer’s Market will now accept EBT cards to purchase fresh produce thanks to the Town’s new partnership with the Weymouth Food Pantry. Shoppers who use EBT cards at the Market will receive a dollar-for-dollar match up to an additional $20 a day – in other words, they get double their dollars’ worth of fresh local foods. The goal is to make these foods more affordable for families and households.
“This is a fantastic program, and I am thrilled that we could partner with the Weymouth Food Pantry to make it happen,” says Mayor Susan Kay. “We started the Farmer’s Market as an invitation to eating healthy. Now we can renew that promise by making the Market’s foods more affordable than ever.”
“We want every family in Town to be able to afford fresh fruits and vegetables as a part of their daily diet,” says Cas Casados, Director of the Weymouth Food Pantry. “With an increasing number of low-income families dealing with malnourishment related diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, this program aims to put nutrient dense produce within financial reach for everybody. Doubling people’s dollars not only incentivizes healthy choices, but it will save money in the long term on these families’ healthcare costs.”
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is a system that allows eligible households to use public benefits to pay for food as if they were using a debit card. All states now use EBT cards to provide food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps.
To administer an EBT program, farmer’s markets apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to become authorized SNAP retailers. Farmers and vendors can become authorized to administer their own programs, but it is most common for markets to operate a centralized system with a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. SNAP customers redeem their benefits by swiping their EBT cards in exchange for tokens which they can use to buy eligible food products from participating vendors. Match programs to double SNAP benefits provide an extra incentive for EBT households to buy from farmer’s markets.
In recent years there has been a push to get more local markets to accept EBT cards. The total value of SNAP redemptions at farmers markets and food stands reached $16.6 million in 2012 – a 500% increase from 2008 according to the Farmers Market Coalition. Today, there are more than 3,200 markets and stands accepting EBT cards across the country.
Town staff has been eager to accept SNAP benefits for a number of years. “Until recently, administering a SNAP program wasn’t possible,” explains Valerie Sullivan, Coordinator of Healthy Wey, the Town’s initiative to create a healthier Weymouth. “We needed a community partner – a non-profit like the Food Pantry – who could provide us with the operational capacity to exchange payments between customers and vendors.” Under the new partnership, the Food Pantry will operate the Market’s SNAP program, facilitated by the Town and administered using a POS terminal acquired at no cost as part of a $4 million USDA-funded program. “Everyone involved in this initiative is committed to making it easier for more people to eat healthy. That’s what makes this is a great partnership,” says Sullivan.
Mayor Kay and Food Pantry Director Cas Casados both agree that the EBT program is a win-win opportunity for Weymouth. “This is a program that can ease hunger, promote better health, and boost the local economy all at once,” says Casados. According to an estimate by Moody’s Analytics, SNAP benefits increase economic activity by $1.73 for every dollar spent. An added advantage is that EBT terminals can also accept major debit cards – making it easier for everyone to buy fresh and local.
The Farmer’s Market opens for business on Saturday, June 6th, 9:00 am – 1:00pm. The season will run every Saturday through October 24th. Town staff has booked a live band and petting zoo to celebrate the seventh season kick off. The EBT and Debit card programs are expected to be up and running at this time.
The Weymouth Farmer’s Market is a weekly community event coordinated by the Town of Weymouth and funded in partnership with the Weymouth Food Pantry, Health Wey and Mass in Motion, an initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.