EBT Dolllars Doubled!
EBT Dollars Doubled at Canton Farmers' Market
A new program at the Canton (NY) Farmers’ Market enables EBT/food stamp shoppers to double their buying power of locally grown food this summer.
Shoppers who spend at least $5 in EBT benefits at the farmers’ market will receive a check for an additional $5 to spend there.
“NY Fresh Checks” is a new state program designed to make it easy and affordable for food stamp recipients to add more fresh foods to their diets.
“The ultimate goal of the NY Fresh Checks program is to bring food stamp customers into their local farmers’ market,” says Diane Eggert, executive director of the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York, which administers the program statewide. “There they can see for themselves that farmers’ market food is reasonably priced and extremely fresh.”
The NY Fresh Checks program also aims to increase sales for farmers' market vendors by drawing more customers to the market. Vendors can redeem the Fresh Checks for their full $5 value.
At the farmers' market, food stamp customers can use their NY Fresh Checks to purchase food-stamp authorized goods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, dairy, maple syrup and other maple products, honey, breads, baked goods, jams and jellies, processed foods, and even seeds and plants that produce food.
Shoppers wishing to receive NY Fresh Checks at the Canton Farmers’ Market should go to the GardenShare booth in the center of the market. To ensure convenient service this summer, GardenShare is operating a new state-of-the-art EBT terminal with a fast, reliable connection for authorizing EBT purchases.
EBT shoppers can receive one NY Fresh Check on each market day that they spend $5 in EBT benefits. Return visits are encouraged. GardenShare will distribute NY Fresh Checks on a first-come, first-served basis for as long as the supply of checks lasts.
The Canton Farmers’ Market is open in the village park on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The GardenShare booth is staffed by community volunteers with support provided by the Canton Community Fund, the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Canton, and by GardenShare’s Farmers’ Market Partners.