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Double Up Food Bucks

Stretching your food dollars at the farmers’ market: nutrition assistance programs for seniors, WIC participants, and SNAP shoppers

July 20, 2021 By marketeditor

By Madison Jackson

Ensuring that fresh, local, and healthy foods are accessible to the local community is a top priority for farmers’ markets. Thankfully, there are various programs available that can help bridge the gap.

Farmers’ market EBT coins, photo by Pattie Garrett

Year-round at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Wednesday and Saturday markets, customers who own an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card can exchange their SNAP benefits for farmers’ market tokens to purchase fresh foods, including 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 are also approved purchases with EBT coins.

The market additionally offers two SNAP incentive programs between which customers can choose with each transaction to get the most bang for their buck. The FreshConnect program, run by New York State, offers an extra $2 coupon to spend on SNAP items for every $5 a customer spends with their EBT benefits. Double Up Food Bucks, administered by Field & Fork Network and new at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this season, matches SNAP benefits dollar-for-dollar (up to $20 per market day) with extra tokens that can be spent on fruits, vegetables, and produce-bearing plants. FreshConnect runs year-round, while the Double Up Food Bucks season runs July through October.

FMNP poster, photo by Pattie Garrett

More seasonally, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is a New York State program that offers WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) participants and seniors coupons to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Our local WIC office distributes WIC coupons. Senior coupons will be distributed by the Saratoga County Office for the Aging on-site at the Saratoga market on Saturday, August 7th (9 am-1 pm) and Wednesday, August 11th (3-5 pm) at High Rock Park. The Office for the Aging will also distribute the coupons at the Clifton Park market on Monday, July 26th (2-5 pm) and Monday, August 16th (2-5 pm) at the Shenendehowa United Methodist Church. Individuals aged 60+ who live on a limited income may pick up a booklet of coupons containing 5 $4.00 coupons (limit one per person).

To spend your WIC or Senior FMNP coupons at the market, look for the blue poster at participating vendors’ stalls or simply stop by the market information table for a complete list of farms accepting FMNP coupons. The FMNP season runs from June through October, after which unused coupons expire.

Utilizing the available nutrition assistance programs is a win-win-win situation. Low-income consumers have more access to healthy foods, local farmers gain income and connect with new customers, and more food dollars stay in the local economy.

This week’s recipe: Summer Vegetable Stir Fry

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: coupons, Double Up Food Bucks, EBT, Farmers Market Nutrition Program, Field & Fork Network, FMNP, FreshConnect, matching, nutrition assistance, seniors, SNAP, SNAP Benefits, WIC

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We love market days! Our vendors are really some We love market days!  Our vendors are really some of the best people … and so are our customers.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is not only a great place to grab everything you need for your weekly shopping.  It’s a place where you get to have conversations and meet the people who grow your food and make the products they offer. 

It’s more than shopping; it’s an experience!  So come down and experience the market today … we are at High Rock Park from 3pm to 6pm.

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #shoplocalsaratoga #shoplocalsaratogasprings #supportlocalfarmersmarkets
The Saratoga Pumpkin Festival is this weekend Satu The Saratoga Pumpkin Festival is this weekend Saturday, September 23rd!!!!

What’s happening?

Saratoga Farmers’ market 9 am to 1 pm

Saratoga Pumpkin Festival 11 am to 4 pm

This is a free family event that starts at the Saratoga City Center parking garage on High Rock Avenue and continues down to the Saratoga farmers Market.  This is a community collaboration with the Saratoga county chamber of commerce, Saratoga Springs city center and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

We are also hosting a children’s pumpkin painting event from 11 am to 1 pm for ( $8 donation). The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is a 501(c)3 and these small fundraisers help to support our free educational programming, intern program, emergency farm fund, etc 

We look forward to seeing you Saturday!

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #saratogapumpkinfest #saratogaevents #fallinsaratoga #giantpumpkinfestival
The market is on this afternoon in Clifton Park an The market is on this afternoon in Clifton Park and ready to start your week with all kinds of locally grown and locally produced goods!

Stop by to browse and shop… 2pm to 5pm.

#cliftonparkny #cliftonparkfarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #shoplocalcliftonpark #suppurtlocalgrowers
Discover the beautiful autumn colors at the Sarato Discover the beautiful autumn colors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market… stil time to come down.  We are here until 1 pm!

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #highrockpark #highrockparksaratoga #autumninsaratoga

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