Food Stamp Recipients Get Access to Farmers Market

Rocklanders who are taking advantage of the Food Stamp Program to help them get through tough economic times will soon be able to use their electronic benefits card to buy goods at a farmers market.

When the Spring Valley Farmers Market opens for the season again on Wednesday, the market will accept state-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, the electronic delivery method for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - also known as the Food Stamp Program.

The operator of the market, Community Markets, and the Rockland Department of Health's Steps to a Healthier Rockland initiative are working together to create the access to farmers market goods for Food Stamp recipients.

A booth will be located at the Spring Valley Farmers Market all season for use of EBT cards.  The market runs every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Nov. 10.  The market is at the corner of Route 45 and North Church Street.

SNAP is a federally funded program delivering monthly benefits to 28 million Americans nationwide. Approximately 10,683 Rockland County residents currently receive SNAP benefits. 

In New City, Health Department statistics show that as of March 2010, there were 339 Food Stamp cases in New City. Nearby, there were 471 in Nanuet, 148 in Congers and 111 in Valley Cottage.

With the Spring Valley Farmers Market's participation in the SNAP/EBT Program, Rockland Food Stamp recipients can increase their access to locally grown and locally produced food items, according to the Health Department. Eligible items include fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, baked goods, jams and jellies and honey. The purchase of vegetable plants and potted herbs is also acceptable.

Farmers market advocates say the biggest advantage to shopping at a such markets is that you get the freshest produce available. Produced is picked within hours of market time.  Fresh produce not only looks and tastes better, it has a nutritional edge for you because it retains more vitamins or minerals verses sitting in a warehouse or traveling thousands of miles for days, according to health experts.

SNAP recipients simply have their card swiped by the terminal operator at the EBT booth for their desired dollar amount and, in exchange, receive that amount in EBT tokens. These tokens will be issued in $1 increments for use with participating vendors throughout the farmers market. The market will also offer cooking demonstrations and recipes to make buying and preparing healthy local food easier for SNAP recipients.

There will be an opening day ceremony for the Spring Valley Farmers Market at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with a ribbon cutting, live music, giveaways and raffles.

In Clarkstown, a farmers market recently kicked off in Valley Cottage and town and county officials are finalizing approvals necessary to launch a farmers market on Sundays in downtown New City.

The New City farmers market, also to be operated by Community Markets, is slated to take place in county-owned parking lots opposite the Allison-Parris County Office Building on New Hempstead Road.