How to Use SNAP, EBT & FreshConnect at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
By Andrea Grom
In these challenging times, many of our friends and neighbors in Saratoga County aren’t able to put enough food on their tables. About 12% of the population (24,000 residents), including 15% of children, experiences food insecurity. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is proud to participate in federal, state, and local programs that help feed our community.
The Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is a federal initiative that helps Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients and low-income seniors access local, fresh vegetables, fruit, and culinary herbs. Participants receive five $5 coupons, redeemable from June to November at the market. Many of our vendors accept FMNP coupons, namely Owl Wood Farm, Scotch Ridge Berry and Tree Farm, Leaning Birch Farm, Kokinda Farm, Saratoga Apple, Burger’s Market Garden, Shushan Valley Hydro Farm/Underwood’s Greenhouses, Gifford Farms, Grazin’ Acres, Jacob’s Farm, and Promised Land Garden Farm. There are also two vendors at the Saturday market accepting eWIC cards: Leaning Birch Farm and Grazin’ Acres. FMNP coupons are available at the Saratoga County WIC and Office of the Aging.
Customers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can use their benefits by exchanging their EBT funds for farmers’ market EBT coins at the market information booth. EBT coins never expire and may be used to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and baked goods, meat, fish, and poultry, dairy products, honey and maple products, and value-added foods like soup mixes, sauces, and jams and jellies. Herb plants and plants that produce food may also be purchased with EBT coins.
There is a valuable bonus to using SNAP benefits at the market: for every $2 in EBT coins exchanged, customers will receive a $2 FreshConnect coupon to spend on SNAP-eligible foods at the market. Additionally, FreshConnect coupons are available to veterans, service members, and their families. They can receive up to $50 in $2 vouchers by contacting the Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency. SNAP/EBT & FreshConnect are accepted by vendors selling EBT-allowable foods on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
There is another excellent resource at the market on Saturdays: Comfort Food Community (CFC), a local nonprofit addressing food insecurity in our region. CFC organizes several food voucher programs sponsored by local health care institutions and Medicaid. These vouchers are part of CFC’s Produce Prescription program, which helps individuals with chronic health conditions and lower incomes access nutritious local foods. Please visit the CFC stand for more information on how to join.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Wednesdays from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga. The Clifton Park Farmers’ Market opens on Monday, June 1 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Shenendehowa Methodist Church parking lot on Route 146. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @saratogafarmersmarket.
