SNAP Market Match benefits expand among Whatcom County farmers markets

Whatcom County Farmers market shoppers receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Market Match will see expanded benefits during the 2024 market season.

SNAP users visiting the Bellingham Farmers Market can now receive a dollar-for-dollar match with no transaction limit due to $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds being allocated by Whatcom County to support local farmers and improve food security, according to a release from the Whatcom County Health and Community Services.

SNAP Market Match is a nutrition incentive program that helps families and individuals using SNAP/EBT purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers markets.

The Twin Sisters Mobile Market and the Lynden Farmers Market offered an unlimited match last year due to a $36,000 PeaceHealth Community Benefit Grant.

Twin Sisters Mobile Market serves three “food desert” locations — Kendall, Deming, and Bellingham’s Birchwood neighborhood. The unlimited match benefits significantly improved food access for low-income residents, according to the release.

“The markets also saw significant customer demand as part of the program. Twin Sisters Mobile Market, for example, witnessed a staggering 92% increase in SNAP/Market Match use in June 2023 compared to the previous year,” the release states.

Now, those benefits are being extended to the Bellingham Farmers Market, which only offered a $25 match during the 2023 market year.

That match limit caused a “dramatic decrease” in SNAP sales at the Bellingham Farmers Market last year, according to Osprey Hill Farm owner and Bellingham Farmers Market Association Board President Anna Martin.

“SNAP users shared their frustrations with the Market Match reduction. They knew about the unlimited match at other markets and decided to shop at those markets instead. It is important to me and our market that we are accessible to everyone,” Martin said in the release.

To be eligible for SNAP benefits in Washington, you must be a resident of the state and meet one of the following requirements:

▪ You have a current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $2,001, or

▪ You have a current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $3,001 and share your household with a person or persons age 60 and over or a person with a disability (a child, your spouse, a parent, or yourself).

▪ A single person must have an annual household income of less than $29,160 before taxes.

▪ A two-person household must have an annual income of less than $39,440 before taxes.

Online applications for SNAP benefits can be submitted at the Washington Connection website. You can also contact a Whatcom County SNAP administering agency. Those locations can be found by visiting the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Office Locator page.

SNAP Market Match currency cannot be used for:

▪ Dried, canned, or frozen vegetables.

▪ Dried, canned, or frozen fruits (including jams/jellies, and fruit juice or cider).

▪ Dried herbs.

▪ Nuts, seeds, eggs, baked goods, seafood or meats, and milk or cheese.

2024 Market Days and Times:

▪ Twin Sisters Mobile Market: Markets run from the first weekend in June through the last weekend in October, 2024. Every Saturday at the Deming Quick Stop (Shell station) (9:00 AM to 3:00 PM) and Kendall at the North Fork Library; Every Sunday (9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.) in the Liberty Tax parking lot on the corner of NW Ave. and Birchwood Ave.

▪ Lynden Market: Every Saturday (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM) starting June 1 through September 28, 2024.

▪ Bellingham Farmers Market: Every Saturday (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM) starting April 6, 2024.