During the 2024 market season, Whatcom County farmers market shoppers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see an expansion of Market Match benefits.
The Bellingham Farmers Market offers SNAP users a dollar-for-dollar match with no transaction limit. This initiative is made possible by an allocation of $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from Whatcom County. The goal is to support local farmers and improve food security, according to an authorization from Whatcom County Health and Community Services.
The SNAP Market Match program provides nutritional incentives for families and individuals using SNAP/EBT to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets.
Twin Sisters Mobile Market and Lynden Farmers Market offered unlimited matching last year thanks to a PeaceHealth Community Benefits Grant of $36,000. Twin Sisters Mobile Market achieved 92% in SNAP/Market Match usage in June 2023 compared to 2022.
Currently, these benefits are being expanded at the Bellingham Farmers Market, which previously only offered a $25 market-year match in the past year. This limit caused a decrease in SNAP sales at Bellingham Farmers Market in 2023, shares Anna Martin, owner of Osprey Hill Farm and chair of the Bellingham Farmers Market Association board.
"SNAP users shared their frustrations with the Market Match reduction. They knew about the unlimited supply at other markets and decided to shop at those markets. It's important to me and to our market that we are accessible to everyone," expounds Anna Martin on the state of the Bellingham Farmers Markets market in 2023.