A San Diego Farmers Market Reaching Out to SNAP Families. By Gus Schumacher

As hundreds of farmers markets around the country expand access to fresh local healthy food with EBT installations and nutrition incentive “double vouchers”, innovative markets in Maryland, California and more recently in Massachusetts are developing “outreach” efforts to encourage families eligible for SNAP benefits to sign up and return to use their benefits for fresh fruits and vegetables at the markets, improving their families health and also providing additional revenue to local farmers.

In June 2008, the San Diego International Rescue Committee (IRC) established the City Heights Farmers’ Market (CHFM) to combat some of the health and food-access inequities within the City Heights community. The CHFM was the first food stamp accessible farmers’ market in San Diego County and the only market situated within a low-income neighborhood.

In response to significant food insecurity in City Heights, the IRC- in partnership with non profit Wholesome Wave – launched an incentive program in August 2008 called “Fresh Fund”. Fresh Fund is designed to make the benefits of fresh, locally-grown produce accessible to everyone in the neighborhood, regardless of income. For community residents receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, they can receive an additional $20 every month, when they spend $20 on their EBT card to buy healthy, local foods at the market.

San Diego County has historically had a sub-par CalFresh (state SNAP program) participation rate, meaning numerous eligible residents are not receiving their entitled benefits. In order to educate the City Heights community that they might qualify food assistance, the IRC partnered with the San Diego Hunger Coalition to provide CalFresh pre-screening and application assistance at the farmers market in City Heights. Any community member who participated in a CalFresh pre-screening interview, performed by trained community members, or promotoras, receives $5 each week during the 4 week review and approval process.
While their SNAP applications are pending approval, these applicants could show a designated SNAP application folder to the Fresh Fund staff during the waiting period to receive their Cal-Fresh EBT card. Upon showing the SNAP application folder, the Fresh Fund staff would provide the potential SNAP applicant with $5 in tokens each week to spend at the market for local fruits and vegetables. On average, 10 families were pre-screened per market day and enrolled in the 4-week Fresh Fund promotion. In 2010, over 200 individuals and families were enrolled in CalFresh as a direct result of being prescreened at the City Heights Farmers’ Market.
Once they receive their EBT card, the community members return to the market to enroll in Fresh Fund, and double their expenditures for fresh fruits and vegetables with the token match inventive. Through this initial “Fresh Fund” provision and subsequent doubling, IRC staff felt SNAP families would be encouraged to return with their EBT cards once approved to continue shopping at the market, with provision of “double vouchers”. IRC staff member Mallory Cochrane recounts a Fresh Fund member telling her that he didn’t even know about the Calfresh program much less that he was entitled to its benefits.
Having the CalFresh SNAP outreach program has opened the doors to healthy, affordable fresh foods to many of City Heights’ vulnerable families.