Seasonal benefit. Framingham Farmers Market now open to those who use food stamps

FRAMINGHAM — In hopes of breaking down barriers and welcoming more city residents, the Framingham Farmers Market is now accepting customers who use the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"We applied really early to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) to accept SNAP benefits, we qualified really early, and we are able to do it for the full season," said Bill Sell, market manager for the Framingham Farmers Market.

The farmers market, which opened June 22, began accepting SNAP, frequently referred to as the food stamps program, on July 6. The program allows customers to use their SNAP cards to purchase tokens from the farmers market. Tokens can then be used as currency with vendors, who then exchange them for cash with the market.

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Framingham joins other area farmers markets, including those in Ashland and Marlborough, in accepting SNAP benefits.

Sell said the program not only welcomes customers who previously would have been unable to shop at the market, but also supports local vendors by adding to their customer base.

"Since the farmers market itself is the company accepting SNAP, that means that the little mom-and-pop bakery that just opened up — that would never be able to qualify for SNAP on their own — can take the token from the shopper and they can sell their product to people using SNAP, which they never would have been able to do before," Sell said.

Bank sponsors matching SNAP benefit

In addition, thanks to a sponsorship from Santander Bank, customers who use SNAP can get an extra $15 of matching funds per week. That means that if a customer purchases $15 worth of tokens using SNAP funds, they will get an additional $15 in tokens to shop, giving them a total of $30 in tokens. This can be done weekly.

Tokens can be used to purchase any food items sold at the market, including produce, dairy products, meats and other food grown and sold locally.

By accepting SNAP, Sell hopes customers who previously may have viewed the farmers market as too expensive will see they can affordably shop there. He said it also opens the market to new customers and removes any preconceived notion that the market is only for those who can afford marked-up products.

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"When people step up to use their card, we will walk anyone through the process on how it works," Sell said. "We will bring people right over to the vendor and show them how it works, if they want. The match program with Santander goes a very long way. You can get a lot of produce here for $15."

The Framingham Farmers Market is administrated by the city as a way to economically support local businesses. Mayor Charlie Sisitsky said that allowing residents to use SNAP benefits was a key goal since the city took over its operations last year.

"It was a priority of mine to have SNAP as part of the Framingham Farmers Market," he said. "With market vendors now accepting SNAP, it means the Framingham market has become more accessible to many individuals and families."

The mayor said he's grateful that Santander Bank was willing to partner with the market and match SNAP benefits up to $15 per week.

"This means some individuals can get up to (an extra) $60 to $75 per month in fruits and vegetables, cheese, meats and even bakery items at the market,” Sisitsky said.

Vendors happy to expand horizons for local shoppers

Ashley Howard, owner of Heavens Harvest Farm in New Braintree, said he hopes the program can help teach lower-income people that there are better options available than what they can find at a local supermarket.

"There is a stigma that comes from people who see advertisements to death on TV that they have to shop at large chain stores, and that a certain type of personality shops at a farmers market, and that simply isn't true," Howard said. "For lower-income people, it is a better value to shop at your local market, because you are getting a more nutritionally dense product, a product that was picked only a day or two ago at a local farm, as opposed to going through a distribution center."

Howard said he had previously proposed a discount program for lower-income residents to be able to purchase products at markets throughout the state at a lower rate.

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"Many of the issues people have, from physical illness to attention issues to depression, can be helped by eating better," Howard said. "We can change the whole dynamic for lower-income people with better access to quality food and nutrition. We do farmers markets because we want to help educate people, to show them that there is a better way of eating and the value it can bring."

Sell said the state Department of Agriculture has a farmers market coupon program for which seniors are eligible. He said Framingham should be distributing the program in the next few weeks, further expanding affordable options to low-income residents.

"They distribute directly through senior centers and through assisted living facilities," Sell said. "They are coming at some point in July, and that will be an additional program, and if somebody has SNAP and they qualify for the senior program, that doubles what they can do.

"It provides further incentive for these folks to continue to shop at farmers markets."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham Farmers Market now accepts SNAP benefits