Peterborough Farmers’ Market now accepting SNAP benefits

By ROWAN WILSON

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 04-17-2023 11:32 AM

The Peterborough Farmers’ Market’s 2023 season has begun, and this year, the market is accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits/Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.

In addition, the Granite State Market Match program run through New Hampshire Food Bank is matching all SNAP money taken out at the market with funds that can be used to buy fruits and vegetables from vendors. 

Market Treasurer Amanda Cannon said farm-fresh means higher quality and better quality of life for livestock, “but it’s also more expensive.” Cannon said when she was a single mother, there was a period when she used SNAP benefits and she feels grateful for the program. However, she said to spread the assistance out, “it’s way cheaper to eat garbage.”

People coming to the market to use SNAP assistance can sign in by Cannon’s orange tent, Autumn Frost Farm. There’s a sign out front and she can run an EBT card and dispense tokens with the Peterborough Farmers’ Market logo. The tokens can be used all season to buy products sold by participating vendors. 

“Locally grown food is the most nutritious food, grown by neighbors and friends,” said market President Conrad Dumas, “People with means can come and buy stuff. Now people with SNAP can come and buy stuff.”

They’ve already had their first SNAP customer, and Cannon said she expects more patrons to use SNAP benefits as the word gets out.

“When somebody spends a dollar on a food vendor, that dollar is in the local economy, the community,” said Dumas. “If we want a stronger local community, we need to spend money on local producers.”

Cannon added that accepting SNAP and offering Granite State Market Match “benefits the community because the community has access to these good (foods) now.”

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In the first two weeks of the 2023 market, Dumas said they’ve averaged 200 patrons. Last year, the average was 125. He said they’re on track to set a new record for April. 

Last year, the market had a total of 8,846 patrons. In 2021, it had 6,112. In 2020, it had 4,474, and in 2019 it had 2,851.

The Peterborough Farmers’ Market is open through December on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m.at the Commu nity Center.

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