Dane County Farmers’ Market Seeks SNAP Help

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At some farmers’ markets across the country, folks who use federal food assistance like SNAP (Latinos make up 15% of participants) are able to purchase market produce by swiping their  Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in exchange for tokens they can use for farm-fresh fruits and veggies.

The Dane County Farmers’ Market in Madison, WI took in the most federal food assistance dollars of any market in Wisconsin in 2013, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. But this year, the group that had covered the cost of the EBT machines in the past can no longer afford it.

So the city and the county are stepping in. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin are joining forces to keep the program going by seeking a new operator for the program.

Organizations that volunteer to help operate EBT program for SNAP users will have the option of requesting additional funding for other markets.

Request for proposals to run the program are due by the end of the business day on May 12.

The RFP document can be found online.

Read more about the market and the EBT program here and here.