EBT participation grows at Forsyth Farmers Market | savannahnow.com

Participation in Forsyth Farmers Market’s program for people receiving EBT, or food stamps, grew for a fifth straight year in 2013, and sales this year are on track to match that, according to its latest figures.

Teri Schell, coordinator of the market, said SNAP/EBT sales totaled $31,190 last year, a 38 percent increase from 2012’s sales of $22,466.

With assistance from the nonprofit group Wholesome Wave Georgia, Forsyth Farmers Market doubles up to $60 for customers using SNAP/EBT, meaning for 2013, including matching funds, those on supplemental assistance had a total purchasing power of $62,381.

“That means over $62,000 in good food to our neighbors, but also $62,000 in our vendors’ pockets and (money) that stays within our local economy,” said Schell.

Forsyth started its double-value token program just a few months after opening in 2009 and has seen participation increase mostly through word of mouth. Forsyth Market had the highest redemption rate for SNAP at a single farmers market in Georgia in 2013, and they’ve consistently ranked in the top two since its inception.

“Every year we’ve gotten significantly better, doubling and tripling in some years,” said Schell.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, is the nation’s largest domestic food assistance program for low-income Americans.

In Chatham County, 49,102 people were receiving SNAP benefits as of May 2014, according to the state Department of Human Services, and nearly 20 percent of the county, including seniors and children, lack ready access to nearby grocery stores to buy fresh, healthy and affordable food.

via EBT participation grows at Forsyth Farmers Market | savannahnow.com.