Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market has several ways to help stretch your food dollar, with SNAP as the cornerstone:
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), also known as food stamps:
Our market is very welcoming to SNAP customers. Every vendor who sells SNAP-eligible items accepts SNAP. Tokens are in whole dollar amounts and vendors do not provide change.
Thanks to a New York State initiative called Fresh2You, we DOUBLE your SNAP dollars.
Here’s how it works: If you come to the Manager’s Table and tell us you want to use $30 worth of your SNAP balance, for example, we will hand you $30 in CHFM SNAP tokens as well as $30 worth of FreshConnect checks. Those checks, which come in $2 denominations, can be used exactly as our wooden SNAP tokens are.
The Fresh2You program will match up to $50 per day. If you choose to use more than $50 in SNAP funds, we will match any amount over $50 with the market’s own tokens. So, don’t worry about the amount you choose to spend, we’ve got you covered.
FAQ:
Q: Do I qualify for SNAP?
A: Please visit http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1320
Q: Can the snap tokens that I get from CHFM also be used at other farmer’s markets if you don’t use them up when purchasing them? Are the tokens interchangeable between different farmers markets?
A: Each market has their own designated SNAP tokens and unfortunately are not interchangeable. If you don’t use up your SNAP tokens in a season, you can save them for our next season.
Q: What am I allowed to use my SNAP tokens for (and what am I not allowed to buy with them)?
A: The idea behind SNAP is to supplement your nutrition, so the list of allowable foods tends to be staples and produce. For the full list of “do’s and don’ts”, visit the USDA site. For a full list of products for sale at our market, click HERE.
Q: How does my EBT card work, how do I manage my benefits?
A: For information about the EBT system, visit http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1320
