Pennsylvania’s farmers market and farm stands are presented with an opportunity to help address food insecurity in their communities while expanding their customer base, all for free.
With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, free equipment is being made available to farmers markets to accept Supplemental Nutrition Acceptance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, for transactions.
“Farmers markets who don’t accept SNAP are missing an opportunity to serve their community by providing those who rely on the benefits with access to nutritious, local food,” said Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Not only does accepting SNAP benefit your community, but it benefits you. It’s an opportunity to expand your consumer base and increase your sales.”
Accepting electronic benefit transfer cards at these locations would be no different from the process used in accepting debit or credit transactions and covers the full price of the products a customer is buying, according to state officials.
Once authorized to accept SNAP, vendors can contact Pennsylvania’s electronic benefit transfer (EBT) provider Conduent at 1-888-736-6328 to request free wireless EBT processing equipment. The grant also covers set-up costs and one year of SNAP transaction fees.
“SNAP is the nation’s most important and effective anti-hunger program; it helps individuals and families stretch their budgets, reduces the burden on local charitable food networks, and supports local retailers and grocers,” said state Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller.
SNAP helps more than 1.8 million Pennsylvanians, including children, people with disabilities, older adults, and working Pennsylvanians, to ensure their household has enough food to avoid going hungry. People can apply for SNAP and other public assistance programs online at www.compass.state.pa.us; over the phone by calling 1-866-550-4355; or by picking up an application at a county assistance office.
“We want to do everything we can to help families who are feeling this economic strain most acutely and small businesses that have had to weather the last year of economic uncertainty, which is why we are so proud to offer this opportunity,” Miller said. “I strongly encourage farmers markets across Pennsylvania to apply to be an authorized SNAP retailer.”
Pennsylvania is home to more nearly 1,000 farmers markets and on-farm markets, however only 48 – less than 5% – are registered to accept SNAP benefits.
“Throughout the pandemic, managers of farmers markets and on-farm markets who redeem SNAP benefits have reported their redemption numbers have, in most cases, double[d] from previous years,” said Brian Moyer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Farmers Market Association. “This reflects the critical role that these markets play as an essential source of food and nutrition in our communities and the wireless EBT equipment makes SNAP redemption easier to use for outdoor community farmers markets.”
Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
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