The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust Saturday Farmers’ Market participates in food access programs including SNAP, Maine Harvest Bucks, and Bumper Crop. These programs help get healthy food to Mainers that need it – all while supporting our local food system!
Maine Harvest Bucks is a SNAP incentive program. SNAP recipients who shop at farmers markets get matching dollars to spend on fruits and veggies, increasing what they have to spend on healthy foods. This program makes farmers markets and healthy foods more accessible for food insecure families, as well as supports local farmers and Maine’s local economies. This is program of the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets.
BumperCrop is a workplace wellness program. Employers can purchase farmers market vouchers as a bonus, employee benefit or as part of a wellness plan for their employees, who in turn use them to shop at farmers markets across the state. This program connects people to healthy foods, supports a better environment and supports small businesses that make up Maine’s local economy. About $1,500 was spent at our market through this program, and we hope to see more in future years. The program is a joint effort of the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets (MFFM) and MOFGA. Contact MFFM for information on bringing this program to your workplace.
SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that supports families and individuals who are food insecure. Farmers markets across the State of Maine and the United States can become licensed to accept SNAP, which allows SNAP recipient families to access fresh, healthy, and local foods, while also supporting Maine’s small businesses and local economies. Want SNAP accepted at a market you visit? Reach out to the market leadership about implementing SNAP and, Maine Harvest Bucks as an added benefit to food insecure families.
